The Child of Grimm (Rewritten)
by TenshiWarrior
Summary: RWBY helps out two people in need, two sisters named Destiny and Cristal. What did the White Fang want with the two of them, and what surprises will they encounter along the way?
1. Prologue: A Name Meaning Fate

**DISCLAIMER:**

 _The following is a fan based story. The series RWBY and it's characters with the exceptions of OCs is all owned by Roosterteeth and Monty Oum; Please support the official release._

 **NOTE:**

 _The following takes place during the events of RWBY V3, so some scenes may or may or not be altered. If you are not a fan of this kind of thing, than I'd advise you not to read ahead._

 **ANNOUNCEMENT:**

 _Hard to believe it's been two years since I first posted this story, and honestly I didn't think The Child of Grimm or the other stories would get such a great following. But I have a confession to make, since I want to be real with you all for a moment. Most of you are wondering why I'm late in posting_ _ **The Blood of Grimm ,**_ _and the reason is simple. I've been going through writer's block and after a talk with my friends IRL, I have decided to rewrite the series altogether._

 _For one thing I made a lot of errors in the grammar department, and honestly the choices I made with the story didn't feel like they were the best ones, but I was being stubborn and told myself this is the right way to do it. I'm going to rewrite_ _ **The Child of Grimm**_ _and_ _ **The Shadow of Grimm**_ _, and put the Blood of Grimm on hold for now; though in the future you're gonna see some of the chapters in the Blood of Grimm and Tales of Grimm get replaced, so please bear with me that I made this choice, and I apologize in advance about this._

 _I'll try my best not to make major changes, but I may change how I introduce certain characters to how I have designed them._

 _Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I will understand if you stop reading the series altogether. I hope you enjoy the new rewritten version of_ _ **The Child of Grimm**_ _and in the future,_ _ **The Shadow of Grimm**_ _._

 _ **EDIT:**_

 _I want to make one thing perfectly clear, to those that might've misunderstood. I **NEVER SAID** I would rewrite the entire series, only The Child and Shadow of Grimm, cuz I feel they could've been done better, especially since The Shadow of Grimm looking at it now I felt it was really rushed and I did what wasn't the smartest ting and wait for the next episode to come the next rather than wait the entire season; T_

 _Honestly leading up to The Blood of Grimm I honestly ran out of really good scenarios in my head which is why I am on writer so block with that story because looking back on the choices I made to the story I realize now I won't have ways to fit certain elements into the story. Which is why I I decided to leave the Blood of Grimm rather than removing it and the same with Tales of Grimm like I said you'll see one or two chapters get replaced._

 _Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please do not make me repeat this in the future because if there's one thing I dislike more it's having to repeat on certain issues that I have already addressed (Which I have done in the past); it becomes very stressful for me and that's the last thing I want to deal with is more stress. :(_

* * *

Three weeks.

They were just three weeks away from what the students from all over the kingdoms and schools have been preparing for since they first started to attend the Huntsman Academies. If anyone had to be honest, no one didn't think they would be ready, but after everything that's happened over the course of last month, a certain few felt more prepared. Team RWBY had been hailed as the one of the heroes of Vale along with their new friends which had been saying a lot considering it had been only their first year as students. After what had occurred, it had felt like they could take on the whole world if they wanted to.

RWBY had decided to take a break from preparing for the coming Vytal Festival as they sat in an outdoor cafe enjoying a plate of muffins and cookies.

Ruby sat back in her seat, after she had finished up what had been on her plate. "Ahh… Now this is living!" She said patting her belly.

"Yeah! Nothing starts the day, like a good cup of coffee and a couple of blueberry muffins!" Yang said doing the same thing as her sister.

"You two should really go easy on the coffee." Weiss told them, wiping her mouth a bit, "It's bad enough you two had seven cups of it already."

"Even though they're half siblings they're so much alike." Blake said astonished.

Both sisters let out a tremendous burp, making Weiss and Blake jump at this; it hadn't been long before their leader stood up from her seat. "Alrighty!" She said with her usual smile, "Now that we've filled our bellies, are you all ready to get this day of fun started?"

"If it's something you and your sister thought up, than we're in trouble." Weiss couldn't help but say.

"Hey, now don't be like that." Yang said to her, "We heard from Coco and Velvet that a couple of new stores and an arcade are opening up because of the Vytal Festival. If we're all up for it, we can go and check it out."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Ruby said, "I heard that one of the games you can play as Spruce Willis in his latest movie!"

"An arcade, really?" Blake said, with an unsure look, "I don't know, maybe I should sit this one out."

Yang gave a playful smile as she soon nudged on her elbow, "Coco also told me and Ruby that the book store is having a sale on a certain book, on a certain author you love."

" **I'M IN!** " Blake suddenly shouted as she stood up from her seat and her face had been a little red.

"Just like that!?" Weiss and Ruby exclaimed, while Yang had a triumphant smile.

"Nailed it." She said as she stood up from her seat.

"Okay, I guess that works." Ruby said awkwardly before getting her energy back, "anyway, let's get this day started!"

" **RUBY, YOU ARE NOT LEAVING ME WITH THE CHECK!** " Weiss yelled as she started to chase her, " **GET BACK HERE!** "

Ruby laughed as she ran, " **JOKES ON YOU WEISS, BREAKFAST IS ON YOU!** "

" **DAMN IT RUBY ROSE!** " She shouted from a distance.

Ruby laughed as she ran happily down the block, though she was too busy to notice someone in front of her, as in the next second she found herself landing face first along with whoever had been in front of her. Both of them landed hard on the concrete floor, nearly knocking over the other people that had been nearby.

"Ouch…" Ruby groaned as she sat up, only to realize someone had been on their side; she let out a little scream, "Oh my Gosh! I'm so so-"

Ruby had been taken back as whoever the person had been finally pulled herself up from the ground; the girl before was a teenager, about the same age as her possessing a short medium style black hair with two parts of her bangs was in a gray color, wearing a dark gray tank top with a dark brown jacket over it, and she had on a pair of baggy jeans. Her outfit, down to her sneakers looked a bit torn and beat up, even her hair looked as though it had seen better days, as it was disheveled and such. Most of her bangs covered up her left eye with only her right eye showing off a red color and a scar. Ruby noticed her appearance as all as the couple of bruises and bandages around her arm and elbows.

The girl couldn't help but give a look of fear when she looked into Ruby's eyes. When Ruby went to approach her, she noticed that she backed up from her slightly.

"Hey, are you-?"

Before Ruby could finish her sentence, the girl quickly stood up and fled the scene, not even so much as saying word, which left Ruby in nothing but a spiral of confusion, and to be honest a bit of worry, when she saw her wounds. It hadn't been long before her team approached her.

"Ruby, are you okay?" Yang immediately said, after she practically slid on the ground to her.

"I'm okay Yang, I'm fine." Ruby quickly reassured her big sister.

"The nerve of that girl!" Weiss couldn't help but say irritated, "She didn't even help you up when she ran into you!"

"She did look like she was in a hurry though." Blake pointed out.

Just as Yang helped her up, Ruby couldn't help but look in the direction where the girl had ran to. "She… Looked like she was in trouble." Ruby said to her teammates, "Not to mention she was hurt." Her teammates looked to one another, perplexed at this.

"Why… Do you say that?" Blake asked.

Ruby replied, "I don't know, it was from the way she acted I guess. Plus she had bandages on her. Maybe that's why she ran off so suddenly."

"Even so, she should've at least tried to help you up or at the very least apologized for what happened." Weiss said, "I still can't believe they're people like that."

"I'm sure that girl, whoever she was will be alright." Yang reassured her sister, "Just try not to worry about it, alright?"

"But-!" Ruby said before she was cut off by Yang, who threw her arm around shoulders, "Come on, we gotta get to our fun day remember? So let's get to it!"

"All I care about is that book store." Blake said as calmly as she could, without having a freakout.

Thus without anymore arguments they went ahead to the direction of where the arcade was as Ruby couldn't help but look to where the girl had disappeared to.

When they arrived at their destination they were quick to lose track of time even after Blake had gone to one of the nearby bookstores to purchase her favorite book. By the time they were ready to go, the sun had already begun to set over the horizon of the many buildings that stood, and needless to say they were all tired and in need of a long day's rest.

"Oh man, I can't believe we were in there for hours." Yang said as she stretched while walking before she cracked her knuckles.

"Your telling me." Ruby said as she yawned, "Who knew playing that dancing game can really take a lot out of you."

"You're the one who decided to play 30 rounds on it." Weiss said as she was just exhausted as she was.

"Says the girl who beat her in 10 rounds." Blake added as she read her new book.

Immediately Weiss's face turned red from embarrassment, " **THAT DOESN'T REALLY MEAN ANYTHING!** "

Yang soon rubbed her stomach a little before she said to the group, "I don't know about you guys, but I could for a bite to eat, since we kind of skipped out on lunch."

"Ditto." Ruby said, "All for it, say aye?"

"Aye." The girls said, raising their hands, leaving Ruby satisfied at this.

They walked down the block together, avoiding bumping into the people that passed by them; however just as they turned the corner, someone had ran right into Yang, causing whoever it had been to fall to the ground. The four girls looked and saw a young twelve year old girl wearing a dirty raggy dress covered in dirt stains; the girl herself was covered in dirt as well. She had on a large brown buckle bag and there appeared to be an IV tube connected from the bag to her chest, judging from the bandage patch that they could see on the neckline.

Her short messy hair, was in the color of magenta and only two parts of her bangs had transitioned to orange. They saw she had a green eye, with an eyepatch over her left eye. They saw cuts on her feet since she had on no shoes but the small cuts that had been on her, looked to be fresh. She looked to be in distress.

"Um…" Ruby started to say, "Are… You okay?"

The girl stood up, hesitantly, and looked like she wanted to say something, but she had been struggling to do so; it hadn't been long before they saw that she started to cry.

"Whoa, hey now." Blake said as she quickly went to comfort the child, "Please don't cry."

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked as she had been concerned as well.

Finally the child spoke, struggling to do so.

"P-Please help me." She said, "Cri-Cristal's in trouble. Ple-Please help her."

"Cristal?" The group said in unison as they looked to one another.

"Is she a friend of yours?" Ruby asked.

The girl didn't answer as she couldn't help but sob louder; she actually clinged onto Ruby's dress as she cried, "Please!" She begged as she sobbed, "I don't know what else to do! She told me to run, but I don't want to leave her! Please! You have to save her!"

Ruby gave her a comforting pat on the head, before turning to her teammates; They communicated nonverbally as they nodded to one another, all in agreement on what they should do. Ruby gently pushed her out of the hug, "Okay, just calm down, we'll help your friend." Ruby reassured the child, "Can you show us where she is?"

The girl's expression brightened a little as she nodded; she wiped away her tears before she pointed in a certain direction. Though before the child could move, she was taken by surprise when Ruby picked her up off of the ground before saying to her team, " **LET'S GO GUYS!** "

The girls nodded once again before they followed Ruby down the path, as the child lead the way. They didn't have far to go, as the child eventually lead them to what looked to be an abandoned house; that was until they heard the sound of cries of agony, belonging to that of a female. Ruby handed off, the child to Weiss as to wait outside, while herself, Blake and Yang snuck in, as not to alarm the people had been inside. They had gone around back as they a total of three men, looking to be thieves beating on a girl that had a very familiar appearance.

It was the girl, Ruby had run in earlier that same day.

One of them grabbed her by the hair as they said, "Tell us what we want to know! The brat that stole food from us came here, but she ain't here! Where did she go!?"

The girl, who they assumed was named Cristal spat in their face as she replied, "You really looking for a kid? You know there a tons of kids in the city, why not ask one of the adults!?"

They flinched when she was punched hard in the stomach, forcing her throw up whatever she had consumed, if she had at all as she fell on her side. They saw her struggling to sit up, as she fell onto the ground again. Ruby immediately thought of a plan when she saw a small ray of sunlight through the ceiling above. She motioned Blake to make her way to the top, to which she did, while she signed to Yang to get herself ready as she armed herself with Crescent Rose, and Yang with her Ember Celica.

"We're through playing games!" The second man shouted as he loaded his gun with bullets, "Tell us where she is, or else-"

Cristal let out a chuckle as she said albeit with a smile on her face, "Kiss the backside of a Beowolf…"

This had gotten them ticked off as he armed the gun, " **YOU LITTLE-** "

" **NOW!** " Ruby soon yelled, not caring if she drew the attention of the three men inside.

With a smirk on her face, Yang blasted a hole in the wall, catching them by surprise. Blake soon came in through the roof and ceiling, knocking one of the men out. The other charged attempting to hit her, but Blake was quick to act. She activated her semblance as she armed herself with a dust crystal in her gun compartment, creating an ice version of herself, just as the man made contact with her making him stuck.

The man gritted his teeth as he went to charge at Blake, but was quickly stopped by a shot fired from Ruby's Crescent Rose. "Bumblebee!" Ruby yelled as she soon went to attend to Cristal who was still groaning in pain on the floor. Yang and Blake nodded before going after the last man standing. The man tried to counter attack, though they had been quick on their feet as they dodged and evaded his punches; they threw a punch of their own that hit both of his cheeks, with Yang's being more powerful than Blake's instantly knocking him out and as well as knocking out a couple of teeth; he fell to the floor face first while dropping his weapon.

"Well, that was easy." Yang said, as she brushed her hands.

"How is she?" Blake asked, turning to their leader.

"She's okay, weak but okay." Ruby replied, as she allowed Cristal to lean on her, "Now let's get out of here!"

They both nodded as they followed Ruby outside, supporting Cristal, and meeting up with Weiss. Though they had quickly fled the scene just as the police arrived as they didn't want to get in trouble for trespassing, that and they didn't want to have to explain anything to the teachers.

After they were at a safe enough distance they allowed the girl and Cristal to reunite with one another.

"Cristal!" The girl exclaimed as she went to hug to her once Weiss put her down, "I was so worried! Are you okay?!"

"Ow…" Cristal groaned, as she gave the child a couple of pats, "... That hurts Princess, but I'm happy to see you too."

The child turned to Ruby before she went to the rest of her team, "... Thank you so much! I don't know what would've happened if I hadn't found you!"

Ruby laughed as she blushed a little, "Ah, no worries, I'm just glad we were able to help!"

"Yeah…" Cristal said as she looked away from Ruby, "Thanks I guess…"

The team couldn't help but looked to each other relieved at the situation, though they had soon jumped when they heard a loud growling sound. At first they thought it had been one of them, but soon looked to the girl who had a look of embarrassment on her face as she went to cover her stomach.

"Oh… Right." Cristal said awkwardly, "I forgot about dinner."

"Well…" Ruby said, getting the two of them to turn, "... We were about to head out to grab something to eat… Why don't you two come and join us?"

The three team members looked to one another confused, while the girl and Cristal couldn't help but exchange looks as they both had the same thought.

* * *

The next thing anyone knew they were sitting at table at a fast food restaurant. They all couldn't help but watch as Cristal and the child before them gulped down everything that had been on their plate as if they were a pair of wild animals after they themselves had finished off their own plate. They could almost swear that they didn't stop to breath as they were both quick to finish off their burger; all of team RWBY could tell that neither of them had eaten in days, and this was about the closet thing that they had to meal. After they finished off what had been on their plate they both leaned back.

"Ahh… That was satisfying." Cristal said, putting her head to the ceiling.

"Tell me about it…" The child said as she had been satisfied.

"So… Are you two all good?" Yang asked awkwardly.

The child nodded, "That really hit the spot, thank you."

"I owe you one, once I find out the quickest way to get money that doesn't involve robbing people." Cristal said to them.

"Oh no, that's not necessary." Blake said, "What matters is that you two are safe from those people."

Cristal let out a chuckle, "Guess that's true."

The child soon realized something, "Oh I'm sorry, we didn't properly introduced ourselves, my name is Destiny, and this is my sister Cristal, but you already knew that."

"Princess!" Cristal said gritting her teeth a little.

The team took in the child's name as they smiled at it. "Destiny huh?" Ruby said, "I like that name." She soon pointed to each of her team members, as to introduce them, "This is Weiss, Blake and my older sister Yang."

The child named Destiny couldn't help but snicker, while Cristal laughed out loud which left them perplexed. "Your name is Ruby, and your initials spell out RWBY!?" Cristal said through her laughter, "That's hilarious!"

"And yet confusing." Destiny had added.

Cristal continued to laugh as Ruby couldn't help but fidget in her seat awkwardly, "Yeah… It is kind of confusing."

"Okay, that's not really important." Blake said, before asking them, "... Cristal? Why were those men looking for Destiny?"

Cristal finally took deep breaths when her laughter finally died down, "Well, Destiny here thought it would be a good idea to steal food from those men a couple of days ago."

"I couldn't help it." Destiny said with a pout, "I was hungry, besides your the one that suggested it!"

"Well I didn't think you would take me seriously!"

"I always take what you say seriously you dummy!"

"Don't call me a dummy, respect people who are older than you!"

The girls couldn't help but feel awkward as they watched the two of them argue, that is until Weiss cleared her throat, drawing the attention back to them. "In any case, you two seem really young to be homeless." Weiss pointed out, "Are you two by any chance runaways?"

The two stayed silent as they finished off whatever beverage they had in their cups, before they let out tremendous burps which made them all jump at the sound. "Sorry." Destiny said as she awkwardly fidgeted in her seat this time.

"... So are you?" Ruby asked, "... Runaways I mean?"

Cristal and Destiny once more exchanged glances as they were both unsure of what they were asking. Cristal soon gave a nod to Destiny as if to give her approval on something. Destiny soon took a deep breath before she replied, "Cristal and I… We're not runaways… We're trying to find our dad."

Team RWBY had been taken back a bit by this newfound information, "Did you guys get separated from him?" Yang asked.

"No." Cristal replied, "More like… _**Taken**_."

They all gasped as they had been put into shock, "You guys, were kidnapped?" Blake said. All the two of them did was nod their head.

"Do you know how long you guys were held captive?" Weiss asked curiously.

"We're…" Destiny answered hesitantly, "... We're not sure. I was put in a room different from Cristal's… The room had no windows, so I lost track of time…"

Cristal had soon added, "It was pretty much the same with me. Though, when the Grimm invaded the city, we used the confusion to escape. Destiny and I have been hiding on the streets since than."

The Grimm invasion that happened a month ago? The two of them have been out on the streets for that long, the whole team couldn't help but think. They couldn't even imagine how long they were held captive. Though the four of them couldn't help but wonder who had been the people responsible for taking them from their father. It wasn't the people who they though it was, wasn't it? Couldn't hurt to ask them, now could it?

Blake had been the bought up the question, "If you don't mind us asking… Who were the ones that kidnapped you?"

Destiny replied as she played with her hair a bit, "... It… It was… _**The White Fang**_ …"

Now this was definitely very hard to believe; First the White Fang turned to violence, than started to work with a human, and now they resorted to kidnapping? They couldn't believe they would sink a new low; Blake especially found it hard to believe this newfound information.

"Are you sure it was them?" Blake asked.

"Well, they did have animal parts on their bodies so… Unless we're mistaking it for another group, it was the White Fang." Cristal said.

Blake sat back in her seat as she looked away from the group, and the others couldn't help but look to her with solemn. "Do you guys know why they took you?" Yang asked, "I mean, do you at least have an idea?"

Destiny's hands started to shake and her eyes started to water again; Cristal immediately took notice of this, as she gave her a hug. "I'm… I'm sorry…" She said as she went to rub her eyes, "... I can't… I'm sorry…"

Cristal gently shushed her as she gave her comforting pats, "It's okay Princess… It's alright…"

"Oh we're sorry, we didn't mean to make you cry!" Ruby quickly said, "Maybe you should tell the police about this? They could help you."

"It's not that simple." Cristal replied, "... Not sure if you noticed but the White Fang is in fact a powerful group, and they could have anyone on the inside."

"Do you have somewhere else to stay at least?" Weiss asked, "Like any other family?"

Destiny sniffled before she replied, "Dad is the only family Cristal and I have… But we don't know where he is, or where to look…"

The team looked to one another as Ruby motioned her head to the side, "Excuse us for a minute." She said as she and her teammates stood up, "We won't go far, don't worry." The two of them nodded and thus they moved from the table; as Ruby had told them, they didn't go far as they waited at the table.

"I know the White Fang has done terrible things, but this…" Blake said, "... They are pushing it too far now!"

"This is just a mess." Weiss said, "And I'm not even sure what we should do."

"We can't exactly send them on their way." Yang added, "The White Fang could be looking for them, and they might end up getting caught again."

"We've got to do something." Ruby told them, "If the police couldn't help, and if they really have no other family, their no safe on their own."

"I know, but what are we even supposed to do?" Weiss said, "Take them back to Beacon and have them stay there?"

The whole team stood their in silence as they slowly looked to Weiss after what she had said. Weiss couldn't help but look shocked as she noticed a grin on Ruby's face. "Oh no, what have I done?" Weiss said as she slapped herself.

" **WEISS YOU'RE A GENIUS!** " Ruby couldn't help but exclaim.

"I'm all for that idea!" Yang said with her smile.

"It does seem efficient." Blake said as her bow twitched.

"We can't do that!" Weiss said, "The academy's not gonna allow it!"

"Not if we sneak them back!" Ruby said with confidence.

"Well what happens if we're caught?!"

"We'll just say that they're family visiting! Other than that no one will know they're there!"

"Where they even supposed to sleep!? We only have four beds!"

"We can always share beds, it'll be like a sleepover, right Blake? Yang?"

Blake and Yang both nodded their heads in agreement as they looked back to Weiss. They saw that she still had an unsure look on her face as Weiss couldn't help but glance back to them. "Weiss…" Ruby said, "... Really think about. They don't have anyone else to turn to; They have no family, they need us. We may be the only ones that can help them."

Weiss was about to make another argument but stopped herself when she actually thought what they were saying. Once more she looked back to the two girls, with Destiny leaning against Cristal as she continued to give her comforting pats. After a few short moments she let out a sigh as she turned back to the group, "If they're going to stay with us… Than I'm buying them new outfits instead of them wearing old outfits."

The three girls smiled to one another as they were happy Weiss came to agreement.

"Deal." The three of them said to her with a smile.

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )


	2. Chapter 1: The Vytal Festival

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

" _ **Ladies and gentlemen, team RWBY will be moving onto the doubles rounds!**_ "

It was finally here, the Vytal Festival for one and all to see! Everyone was excited about it, the students from the different academies had been especially excited. Mostly because of the tournament taking place. They were not only given the opportunity to represent their own school but they got a chance to show off in front of a crowd far and wide. All the students and people from different places and academies cheered loudly as they would watch the Huntsman and Huntresses in training engage in combat with one another. The one team, that had been the most excited out of all the rest, had been team RWBY as they had just one the fight against team ABRN from the academy of Mistral, known as Haven.

Ruby let out a groan as she slouched where she stood, "Is anyone else starving right now?"

"I may have worked up an appetite." Blake said with her hands behind her head. Though the four of them jumped when they had heard a loud growling sound, coming from Blake's stomach had been heard; she placed her hands on her stomach as she looked embarrassed.

"Oh gee, if there was only some place on campus where we can get food." Weiss said.

Though Weiss had been sarcastic with her words, as they had been standing at the center of the fairgrounds, where many concession stands were seen standing and where the crowds had gathered as to take a break from fighting; many people won prizes, went to buy souvenirs or just by a snack.

"Oh… Wait a minute." Weiss said gesturing to the fairgrounds.

"It's okay Weiss." Ruby said putting a hand on her shoulder, "I forget about the fairgrounds too."

Weiss sighed as she shook her head, "... I was just being facetious."

"Well if you were hungry, why didn't you just say so!?" Ruby shouted as she threw her hands up in the air.

"Come on, I know just the place to get the bite!" Yang said before she went ahead, eventually the group had followed behind her. Just as they turned the corner they were stopped by a familiar voice.

"Hey!" It said, "It might be hard to eat without this!"

The group turned and saw that it was one of their friends, a girl named Emerald Sustrai who had been holding onto Ruby's wallet, which took her back a lot. "Oh gosh, no, no, no!" Ruby exclaimed as she had a fearful expression.

Emerald couldn't help but laugh at the expression she had, "Good to see you Ruby." She said before handing her wallet back to her. "Thanks Emerald." Ruby said, "I guess I must've dropped it. Girl pockets are the worse!"

"What's up Em?" Yang greeted with a smile.

"We just left the stadium after your amazing fight!" Emerald replied, "You guys were awesome!"

At this Ruby's face turned red, "Oh stop it! You're making me blush!"

"I heard that your team progressed to the doubles rounds too." Blake added.

"You know, I feel like we've never seen your teammates." Weiss pointed out.

"How did they do in the fight?" Yang asked curiously.

* * *

- _ **Earlier**_ -

 _Emerald and Mercury fired a couple of rounds on two of the opponents causing them to fall to their knees before they were kicked out of the ring, putting them out of the fight. As one of them went to charge, Cinder countered by kicking him right in the stomach causing him to fly a few feet before he hit the ground hard. He opened his eyes and saw that a girl with black hair tied in twintails wearing a gothic outfit stood over him._

 _The moment she blinked, he could've sworn that her eyes changed from green to an odd eye color of pink and brown. He didn't have time to think about it when the girl stomped him in the face._

* * *

"... They did really well." Emerald replied, smiling to herself at the memory of how they won.

Ruby gave a smile, "That's great! We were just about to go get some victory food! Wanna join us?"

Emerald had been a bit taken by this, but quickly came up with an excuse, "Oh gosh, that's really nice of you but my friends are kind of…" She looked over to her teammate by the name of Mercury as did RWBY as he had been checking out some shoes. They couldn't help but give an odd look as he sniffed on the inside.

"... Introverted." Emerald finished, "Really _**SOCIALLY**_ awkward."

Yang couldn't help but inhale with her teeth together, "Ooo, yeah. I can see that."

"On the other hand…" Emerald said changing the subject, "Merc and I are going to be moving onto the double rounds. How about you guys?"

Ruby replied with a confidant smile, "Well as leader of the team, I thought long and hard about this decision."

"We put it to a vote." Weiss added, making Ruby look awkward.

She cleared her throat, "Yes, _**I**_ decided we put it to a vote!"

"We voted for Weiss and Yang." Blake added, gesturing over to her comrades.

"I will be happy to represent team RWBY." Weiss said as she bowed.

"Yeah, we're gonna kick some butt!" Yang said, putting her fists together.

Emerald laughed at their enthusiasm, "Well, if Merc and I see you down the line, don't expect us to go easy on you."

"Wouldn't want it any other way." Yang said with a smile.

Emerald turned away to join up with Mercury, though it hadn't been long before she said, "We're gonna go catch some more fights."

RWBY did the same as they went to a certain food stand, "Have fun you two!" Ruby said as she waved.

"See you later." Emerald said as she waved.

The minute she had her back turned to them, she stuck her tongue out in disgust as she rolled her eyes; Mercury noticed this as he approached her.

"So how are you're new 'friends'?" Mercury asked with an amused smile.

"... I hate them." She replied still having a disgusted look on her face.

"Orders are orders." He said with a shrug.

"It's just-How can they be SO happy ALL the time!?"

"Did you at least get what we want?"

"It's the Heiress and the Bimbo."

"Welp… At least now we know what we're working with.

With the two of them exchanging smiles, they made their way back to the fighting arena as they both had a smile on their face.

Team RWBY had soon arrived at the noodle stands, as they sat on the stools that had been provided, ready to place their orders for the owner of the stand.

"I'll have the bowl of the regular please." Yang ordered.

In a matter of seconds, a large bowl was pushed in front of her, the minute her owner was placed. Ruby had an astonished look at the large bowl of noodles, "I'll take the same!" The same kind of bowl was pushed in front of the young girl, and Ruby had a smile on her face.

"Do you have anything with a low sal-" Weiss started to ask before she found a large bowl of noodles pushed just in front of her, taking her by surprise. "Umm… Okay…?" Weiss said awkwardly.

Blake nor the owner didn't say anything to one another as they only exchanged in nods. He dashed towards the kitchen quicky preparing something, before returning to the front, placing a bowl in front of her. Turns out it was large bowl of freshly cooked fish, which Blake started to drool at the sight of it. Weiss pulled out her credit card from her dress pocket before handing it to the owner.

"Aw, Weiss, what's the occasion?" Yang asked.

"Consider it thanks for sending me to the doubles rounds." Weiss replied with a smile.

The credit card was suddenly thrown like a knife, as it had stuck onto the table surprising them. The owner cleared his throat drawing the attention of the girls as he soon pointed to the cash register. The register had read "Declined".

"Declined!?" Weiss exclaimed, "How can my card be declined!? I was barely in my monthly allowance…"

The owner suddenly pulled the bowl of fish away from Blake just as she was sneaking to take a bite. "No~..." She said as she slumped over on the table. A familiar voice had soon cut over them.

"Maybe I can help?"

It turned out the people that approached the team was team JNPR; beside them was a teenage girl with black and gray hair and a twelve year old girl. The girl with black hair wore a blue tube top with a set of bandages underneath and she had on a short brown pants with a gray buckle and had on a pair of green ankle high boots. She also had on a dark purple cargo jacket with short sleeves and a pair of brown buckle fingerless gloves. The twelve year old girl had on a light purple hoodie over a family bear t-shirt in front of a sunset, and she had on a dark blue skirt that had been up to her knees and a pair of black crop leggings were seen underneath; she also wore a pair of brown sneakers. She had on a large brown bag with an IV tube connected from the bag to her chest, and she had on a black eyepatch over her right eye.

" **PYRRHA!** " Ruby cheered before she turned over to the girl with black hair, "And let's not forget our cousin Melody!"

"Or should we say, Cristal?" Yang added as she had been amused the face the girl was making.

"Aren't you two hilarious?" The girl with black hair who had been revealed to be Cristal said.

The twelve year old girl, ran from JNPR and towards team RWBY giving each of them a hug. "Congratulations on making it to the double rounds!" The girl said with a smile.

"Thank you Destiny." Weiss said with a smile.

"Did you enjoy the fight?" Ruby asked.

The child named Destiny nodded before she started to intimidate Yang's punch at one point, "You guys were better than I could've ever imagined! Especially when Yang punched all three of them out of the stage like that!" Yang chuckled at this as she ruffled her head a little.

"Hey Princess?" Cristal said, nudging her a little, "Don't you have something you want to give to the team?"

"Oh yeah!" Destiny said before she started go throw the pocket provided on the strap of her bag, which confused the four girls. She took out what appeared to be a total of four bracelets each of them in their own color. One had red and black beads with a red rose, the second was of white and had light blue beads with a snowflake, the thirds was of dark purple and black beads with a purple flame, and the last had yellow and orange beads with a yellow flames.

"What are these?" Blake asked.

"They're victory bracelets!" Destiny said handing the bracelets to them, "They're meant to bring you good luck in future battles. I hope you guys like them."

The four of them put on the bracelets on the opposite of their dominant hand, as they looked at them. "Destiny, this is so thoughtful of you!" Ruby said with a smile.

"They're perfect, thank you for this." Weiss said to her with a smile.

Destiny's face turned red as she couldn't help but smile at them. "She really worked hard on them." Pyrrha said, "She even made us the bracelets." JNPR showed off their own wrists showing them the bracelets they had on, as RWBY looked to them in awe.

"They look good on you." Ruby commented as she gave them a thumbs up.

"Hope you don't mind, but I'm in the mood to have something to eat now." Cristal said, "Who knew watching fights could make a person hungry."

"Sure thing, I'll pay for lunch." Pyrrha said taking out her wallet.

"Aw, Pyrrha you don't have to." Yang said with a wave of her hand.

" **BUT SHE COULD!** " Blake had immediately retorted, making Cristal and Destiny look to her awkwardly.

"I think you all deserve it after that match." Pyrrha said.

"Mind if we join you?" Jaune asked.

* * *

- _ **Three Weeks Earlier**_ -

 _Team RWBY made it back to Beacon without delay and had been currently sneaking across campus to get back to the dorms. Ruby peaked out of a bush and saw the dorm building within view, She looked around making sure their hadn't been anyone around. When she saw no in sight, she turned and signaled someone not too far from where she was._

" _It's all clear." She whispered._

 _The other three members of RWBY came out of hiding, along with them had been Cristal, and Destiny, as she had been piggybacking on Cristal._

" _We're almost at the dorms." Yang said to the two of them, "As long as we don't get spotted by the professors or Ironwood, or the Atlas guards than we'll be okay."_

" _Easier said than it is done as many would say." Cristal said with a hushed tone._

" _Are you guys sure this is okay?" Destiny asked hesitantly, "I don't want you guys to get in trouble because of us."_

" _It'll be fine." Blake reassured her, "Just be glad you and your sister will have a roof over your heads tonight."_

 _Destiny nodded as she was still a bit unsure of the idea they had in mind. As they were about within reach to the dorms-_

" _ **NORA!**_ "

 _Nora had suddenly popped out of nowhere, surprising the four girls plus Destiny and Cristal as they nearly fell over on themselves. "_ _ **THE HELL IS THIS!?**_ " _Cristal couldn't help but yell._

" _Nora for the love of-!" Weiss started to say, "-Don't scare us like that!"_

 _All Nora did was laugh; it hadn't been long before Ren came into view as he said, "Nora, what did we talk about? You can't just go jumping in front of people like that!"_

" _But Ren!" She said, "I haven't seen these guys in awhile, it feels like forever!"_

 _Soon enough, Jaune and Pyrrha approached the group as well as they looked to Nora with a bit of confused looks on their faces. "What are you talking about?" Jaune said, "You saw them a few hours ago…"_

" _ **FEELS. LIKE. FOREVER.**_ " _Nora stated right in Jaunes face making him jump a little._

 _Pyrrha soon took notice of Cristal and Destiny; Cristal couldn't help but freeze up while Destiny buried her face in her shoulder._

" _Um…" Pyrrha began to say awkwardly, "... Who are these two? They weren't with you when you guys left for Vale."_

 _The whole team started to get nervous, as they all started to sweat, as they looked to Cristal who was just as nervous as they were. "I'm-" Cristal stammered, "We're-Uh-" She looked over to RWBY before she said in a hushed tone of voice, "Help me out here!"_

 _RWBY did try to help as best they could, though each of them had different things to say._

" _She's our cousin!" Ruby said._

" _My sisters twice removed!" Weiss immediately said after Ruby._

" _Old… Friends of the family?" Blake said more confused than it was a statement._

" _Adopted sisters!" Yang soon said._

 _Everything was silent as they heard the sound of the wind, as JNPR just looked confused, and Cristal was just speechless as she couldn't help but make a face._

" _ **THE HELL WAS THAT!?"**_ _She couldn't help but exclaim._

 _As they looked back to JNPR, they could tell solely by the look on their faces, that they weren't buying it, not even for a second. "Alright…" Jaune said, "What's going on?" The four girls laughed a bit nervously as they ultimately slumped over in defeat, while Cristal slapped herself in the face, knowing that they had been found out._

* * *

 _-_ _ **Present**_ -

Team RWBY and JNPR plus Destiny and Cristal had finished up their lunch as they were all stuffed and satisfied. Although the four girls were feeling just fine, as well as Cristal, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren, Jaune and Destiny looked, and felt a bit sickly.

"Are you sure it's wise for us to eat before the match?" Ren asked.

"Of course!" Pyrrha said with a confidant smile, "It will give us energy!"

Both Nora and Destiny let out a tremendous burp surprising everyone; Nora sat there with a smile while Destiny couldn't help but turn red from sheer embarrassment. She laughed awkwardly as they all looked to her; Jaune put his head on the table as he groaned.

"If I barf… I'm blaming you…" He groaned.

"Oh! Aim it at the enemy!" Nora said with a grin as she moved her eyebrows in a funny way.

Destiny couldn't help but laugh, "Ew, that's gross!" She said between her giggles.

"But if you really do feel the urge…" Ren said to Jaune.

"Got it…" He replied groggily.

"So, do you think you guys are ready?" Ruby asked the team.

"Of course!" Nora replied with a smile, "We've got world renowned fighter on our team, ones basically a ninja, and Jaune-" She stopped herself as she looked to Jaune, while the group did the same; Nora soon picked it backup, "-We trained all year and our weapons are _**AWESOME**_! Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and uh… Jaune!"

"Ouch… Now that's what I call harsh." Cristal said as she put her hands behind her head.

"You're not gonna take that are you Jaune?" Destiny asked as she patted him on the back.

"... She's not wrong." Jaune said with another groan.

Nora let out a laugh, "I'm kidding! Don't worry, he knows I'm kidding!" She soon said with still with a smile, though she slowly started to lose her color, "Don't be so nervous guys! The worst that can happen is that we lose! Than it's just a few more years walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures, our friends will slowly abandon us and preserve their social status, no one will sit with us in the cafeteria, Ren and I have no parents, we have no home left to go to, we'll be officially renamed Team- **LOSE-PIER**!"

Just like that, she stuffed her face into the table as she started to sob quietly.

"So yeah…" Ren said, "... We're feeling pretty good…"

"That went unexpectedly deep…" Destiny couldn't help but say awkwardly.

"Don't fret." Pyrrha reassured them, "If anything we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines and well… _**Not murderers**_."

"Yeah don't sweat it." Yang said, "We've all faced worse stuff before the Vytal Festival even started."

"Let's see…" Blake said thinking to herself, "... Grimm Invasion, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath."

Destiny eye widened a little as she suddenly had a sad look on her face, while Cristal's expression softened; Blake and the others took notice of this, "Oh sorry! I didn't mean to-"

Destiny smiled reassuringly as she shook her head a little, "It's okay Blake. I know you didn't mean it."

"Yeah…" Cristal said looking away from the group.

Ruby was quick to change subject as she said with a smile, "But that was all when we were still in training! Just imagine what it's going to be like when we graduate!"

"Maybe than I'll be able to pay for a meal." Weiss mumbled to herself.

It hadn't been long before the PA came online; They heard Professor Ports voice followed by Oobleck's.

" _Would team JNPR please report the arena immediately._ " Port said.

" _Yes!_ " Oobleck said, " _Like they were scheduled to…_ _ **SEVERAL. MINUTES. AGO!**_ "

"Well, it looks like this is it." Pyrrha said. Team JNPR stood up from their seats before they proceeded to the arena. " **GO GET EM!** " Ruby and Destiny said.

"Good luck!" Cristal said as she waved.

* * *

- _ **Three Weeks Earlier; RWBY's Dorm Room**_ -

 _After they had gone to the dorms for the night, RWBY had explained to JNPR exactly what happened earlier that day. They had the same reaction as they did when Cristal and Destiny told them their story about what happened. They all sat in RWBY's room while Cristal and Destiny were in the bathroom provided, cleaning themselves up. One of the girls insisted that they help them since Cristal had a couple of fresh injuries and Destiny had been a special case considering she had an IV connected to her chest, though Cristal insisted they were fine and just to let them have their privacy; though not before they provided them with a set of PJs that RWBY had bought before they had returned to Beacon._

 _A couple of members of JNPR sat on the chairs provided as they took in this newfound information._

" _... So they've been really out in the streets since the Grimm attack in the city?" Jaune asked._

" _After they escaped from the White Fang, yeah, that's pretty much the full story." Ruby added._

" _I can't believe it." Pyrrha said, "It must've been hard for the both of them… Especially for that little girl."_

" _What I still don't understand is what the White Fang wanted with the two of them." Blake said, "It's bad enough they allowed a human into their group, but to go and kidnap a couple of them… It's crossing a line, and that's saying a lot considering all that's happened."_

" _Maybe they had something against their father?" Ren suggested._

" _Maybe." Ruby said, "But that would have to depend the line of work their father did."_

" _Well considering all that they've been through, I think it's best that we don't force this kind of thing on them." Pyrrha had said, "If we let them get used to us, than maybe one of them will give us an answer in time." The team looked to each other as they were confused, at that point as they looked back to team JNPR._

" _We?" Weiss said._

" _Wait, you want to help us?" Yang asked._

" _Of course we want to help!" Nora said with a smile, "You're our friends, and it's gonna be a lot of trouble to take care of cute little Dessie!"_

" _Huh? What are you saying?" Blake asked._

" _Dessie?" Ruby said with a raised eyebrow._

" _I guess that's her new nickname." Yang said._

" _Well Cristal can obviously take care of herself, and is fine with helping you guys out when setting up the Vytal Festival." Jaune explained, "Though on the other hand Destiny can't be alone, so while you guys might be busy with the preparations, and even when the Vytal Festival comes around you're gonna be in matches. So one of us can keep an eye on her for you." Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang looked to one another as they realized that Jaune made a good point. Not only would they help out with setting up the Vytal Festival, they were going to be in matches in the very near future. They originally had intended to leave them both in the room, but than again Cristal didn't really trust them and probably would leave with Destiny first chance they got._

 _They didn't want to think about the worst case scenario if they had been caught by the White Fang again._

" _You know, now that I think about it, you guys make a good point." Ruby said, and her comrades nodded in agreement._

" _I guess that means, a yes to us helping you." Pyrrha said with a small smile._

" _So how long are they going to be staying here?" Ren asked._

" _Just until their father is found." Weiss replied._

" _And if you guys are gonna help us, you can't say anything to Ozpin." Yang told them._

" _Really? Ozpin doesn't know about those two!?" Nora exclaimed._

" _Is that a good idea?" Pyrrha asked._

" _Not really." Blake replied, "But it's the only idea we have."_

 _They soon heard the bathroom door open and Destiny and Cristal came out wearing standard PJ's. Though Cristal had walked out casually with a towel over her head, Destiny was hiding behind her, having a nervous look on her face, which took JNPR back a bit._

" _Sorry, she's not really used to strangers." Cristal said, as she finished drying herself off._

" _No worries." Ren reassured her, "It's understandable as to why."_

 _Pyrrha soon stepped forward as she kneeling down to her level as she soon said with a comforting smile, "Hi there. My name's Pyrrha, from JNPR, we're friends with Ruby. What's your name?"_

 _Destiny looked to Pyrrha before she replied nervously in a hushed tone of voice, "... De… Destiny…"_

" _That's a beautiful name." Pyrrha commented, causing Destiny's face to turn red, "Did your father come up with it?"_

" _N-no… Mom did."_

" _I see. She really has good taste in names."_

 _Pyrrha soon held out her hand to Destiny for her to take, "I hope we can get to know you better."_

 _Destiny looked over to Pyrrha and back to her hand. She reached out to her and gave Pyrrha a handshake which team RWBY couldn't help but smile at as did the rest of team JNPR. Blake soon looked to the clock and noticed the time, "It's getting pretty late, we should turn in for the night."_

" _Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Jaune said, before the rest of his team stood up, "Good night guys."_

" _Night Jaune!" Ruby said as she waved._

 _Thus RWBY changed into their sleepwear, once JNPR left their doom room. Cristal sat on one of the many chairs provided in the dorm while Destiny fidgeted nervously. "Um…" She started to say, getting RWBY's attention, "... Cristal and I don't have to sleep on the floor do I?"_

" _Nope!" Ruby replied with a smile, "Blake won't mind if you bunk with her, and your sister can bunk with Weiss."_

" _What!?" Cristal and Weiss exclaimed._

" _Are you sure that's okay?" Destiny asked._

" _You won't be taking up space if that's what you're worried about." Blake reassured the child._

" _Why do I gotta sleep next to the Ice Queen here!?" Cristal exclaimed._

" _Hey!" Weiss said feeling offended._

" _Because, Weiss always wanted a bunk buddy." Ruby reasoned, making Cristal's jaw drop at this as did Weiss's._

" _ **RUBY!**_ " _Weiss couldn't help but shout angrily._

" _Oh just suck it up for one night." Yang said to her, "Having a bunk buddy isn't going to kill you."_

 _Weiss was about to retort, but knew that she couldn't win the argument when Ruby and Yang teamed up with each other. "You better not kick in your sleep." Weiss said._

" _Same to you Ice Queen." Cristal said to her._

 _The whole team soon went to their designated bunks, with Blake helping Destiny up onto the bed, after she climbed in, and tucked her in. Weiss slept with her body facing the wall while Cristal slept on the outside, and thus the lights turned off with a flick of a switch from Yang, before she climbed into her own bunk. A full hour had passed and Destiny didn't go to sleep right away as she looked to the bed above her. She tried her best to go to sleep but had a hard time doing so as she looked to the bag at the corner of the bedside, looking to the bag pocket. She unzipped it, and pulled out what looked to be three photographs each of them labeled on the back; she looked to the one in the middle as her eyes were transfixed._

" _Hey."_

 _Destiny picked up her head when she saw Cristal laying on her side looking to her; her red eye seemed to have glowed in the reflection of the moonlight._

" _Can't sleep?" Cristal asked her in a hushed tone of voice._

" _No." She replied, letting her arm hang on the side of the bed._

" _... You still thinking about him, huh Princess?" She asked her as she rested her arm underneath her chin._

 _Destiny merely nodded her head in reply as she looked to the photograph. "I miss him…" She told her looking to her again, "... It's strange to be without him. I keep expecting this to all be a dream, and to wake up to a regular morning, eating breakfast but…" She clenched the photos in her hand, "... He's not here… And this… None of this is a dream…"_

 _Cristal could hear her voice, she was trying to prevent herself from crying again; her expression softened a little. "Cristal…?" She heard the child say, "... Do you… Do you think, we'll find him? After the Grimm invasion… Do you think-?"_

" _Now listen here Dessie." Cristal said cutting her off, "Don't you start thinking about stuff like that. You know how your old man is, he's strong and stubborn. If the world wants him dead, than he'll fight back with everything he has, and he'll tell whoever's watching above, 'You're not gonna take me today'. You and I both know that's just how he is."_

 _Destiny couldn't help but laugh a little at this before she had a sad look on her face again; Cristal let out a sigh as she rolled over on her stomach, "Don't get all pouty on me. We made a promise the day we got out remember? Don't tell me you forget that already?"_

" _No, of course I didn't." Destiny replied as she let out a sigh, "I just want this all to be over, and see him again."_

" _And we will." She said as she rolled over on her back, still looking to her, "We'll find him. No matter how far apart we are, even if the world tries to seperate us, we'll find him. Just do me a favor, hang onto that hope and don't ever lose it no matter what."_

 _Destiny held the pictures close to her and gave Cristal a smile, she in turn smiled back to her. Though both were left unaware that a certain silvered eyed girl was wide awake and had listened to their conversation._

* * *

 _-_ _ **Present**_ _-_

Team RWBY entered the stadium with Destiny and Cristal by their side, as they were going to their seats to witness the next match. Just as they turned to go to the front row, they passed by Mercury and Emerald who were just coming from the snack bar provided in the stadium. Destiny's shoulder bumped into Emerald's hand; though this had gone unnoticed by Emerald, the child stopped in her tracks. She looked to Emerald with a peculiar look on her face, as she watched them enter a certain aisle; she felt her eye underneath her eyepatch hurt a little as she cringed slightly.

"Destiny?" She soon heard Blake call out, "Is something wrong?"

Destiny turned to her and smiled, "No, it's nothing. Let's hurry, before the match starts!"

Destiny ran to her side as she took Blake's hand, and practically dragged her to where they were going to sit, taking her by surprise.

Mercury and Emerald found their seats no problem, as Mercury himself ate from a large bucket of popcorn.

"I wonder who's going to win." Mercury said with his mouth full.

Emerald let out a scoff, "As if we don't already know."

A hand soon came up from behind them, reaching into the bucket of popcorn before taking out a corn kernel; it was revealed to be Cinder as she said with a smile, "Oh come now, even if you know how the story ends, it doesn't make it any less fun to watch." With heat emanating from her hand, it turned into a popcorn with the sound of a pop, and she popped it in her mouth, before taking a seat just behind them.

Port soon announced the match via PA that had been provided.

" _Up next is team JNPR from Beacon, and team BRNZ from Shade_!"

The stage soon started to set itself, with one half being a forest and the other half being a mountain terrain; the teams got in position.

" _3… 2… 1…_ _ **BEGIN!**_ "

At the end of the count down, RWBY, Cristal and Destiny watched as JNPR engaged team BRNZ.

( _ **Ending Theme: The Ancient Magus Bride Ending 1-Cycle Performed By Hana Itoki**_ )


	3. Chapter 2: Family

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

 _The rays of the sun leaked through the windows into the room of team RWBY, all of them being sound asleep despite the fact that the sun was rising and the birds sounded lively. Destiny had been the first to stir awake as she set up letting out a yawn. She moved her eyepatch and the eye that had been underneath, before doing the same with the other. When she looked around, she was a bit taken back from the surroundings as well as the people, but after a while it had come back to her when she saw Cristal sleeping across from her._

" _Right… Cristal and I are at Beacon."_

 _She got out of bed and went to pick up her bag; she had been careful as to not wake up any of the others as she made her way to the bathroom that had been provided, shutting the door behind her. She removed the eyepatch before she turned on the water, splashing some of it on her face. She looked into the mirror taking a moment to look at her eye that had been hidden with her eyepatch. She soon looked into her bag where her medicine had been._

" _It's starting to run out…" She said with a worried expression on her face._

 _She soon jumped when she heard a knock at the door. Destiny went to grab her eyepatch but stopped when the door opened, revealing a familiar girl with a red eye._

" _It's just me Princess." Cristal said shutting the door behind her, "No need to get all jumpy."_

 _Destiny let out a sigh of relief when she realized it just been Cristal. "Don't surprise me like that." Destiny told her, "You know I get scared easily."_

 _Cristal let out a giggle, "Sorry, I just love to see the look on your face." She soon looked around through the bathroom before spotting a hairbrush on the sink. "Why don't I get the tangles out of your hair?" Cristal said picking up the brush, "It's been awhile since I gave you a good brushing."_

" _Sure." Destiny said with a shrug before turning over to the mirror._

 _Cristal soon stood behind her before she gently ran the brush through the strands of her hair as she started to hum to herself. Destiny couldn't help but enjoy the way it felt as she felt the strands detangle itself. As she did this she couldn't help but look into the mirror, her expression softening a bit when she looked at her own reflection. She knew eventually her and Cristal would have to tell them about their father, though she had been sure they heard of his reputation. She played out every scenario in her head, though they always ended the same._

 _With the two of them getting kicked out; It was the only thing she could think about._

 _Her anxiety rose even more when she looked to her right eye in the mirror. What would happen if they ever saw what was hidden underneath her eyepatch? Would they try to kill her if they ever saw it?_

 _She certainly hoped not if that had been the case._

 _Destiny jumped when she heard another knock at the door, while Cristal stood there calmly. "Who is it?" Cristal asked._

" _It's just me."_

 _It turned out it was just Blake as Destiny couldn't help but sigh with relief; Cristal giggled at the expression on her face causing her to pout. "You need something?" Cristal soon asked._

 _Blake replied from the other side, "I don't think it's crowded in the cafeteria right now. I was thinking we can go down there to get something to eat, before the others wake up."_

" _Well, it just so happens that Destiny is parched! Why don't you and her go and get breakfast?"_

" _Really? You sure you don't want anything?"_

" _Nah, I'm good for now. But thanks."_

 _Destiny looked to Cristal with a certain look in her eye. "Don't you worry about me Princess." Cristal said her as she ruffled her hair, "I'll eat a little later. You go enjoy yourself alright."_

" _Are you sure?" She asked._

 _Cristal merely nodded her head before she held her to put on her eyepatch and helped her off her seat. "Now run along, and have yourself a feast!" She said as she ushered her to the door after she put on her bag. Thus she had gotten Destiny out the door before she could protest, making Destiny stand there awkwardly as she looked to Blake._

" _Shall we than?" Blake said to her with a small smile, holding her hand out to her._

 _Destiny didn't say anything but she took her hand as to answer her question, before they proceeded to the cafeteria building, after Blake had gotten dressed of course. Luckily when they had arrived, there wasn't even a crowd, from their own or other schools that attended sat at one of many tables after they had gotten their food; Blake and Destiny were both in the clear thankfully._

 _They had each gotten a plate of pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs, toasts, hash browns and bacon and went to sit at a table just at the far end of the cafeteria, where they would be less likely seen by anyone. For awhile they sat in silence eating what had been on their plate. It hadn't been long before Destiny saw Blake looking through pages of what appeared to be a journal._

 _Curiosity peaked her and she looked over her shoulder; she noticed that she had been looking over previous entries; She had trouble making out most of the words that had been written. She saw a picture of a familiar man wearing a black coat with a flower that was of red and in a shade of white. She noticed Blake was entranced by the picture of the man, but it hadn't been long before she realized why the man looked familiar._

" _...That person..." Destiny said in a hushed tone of voice._

 _Blake didn't take notice of her expression as she soon said, "Weiss is going to take you and your sister out shopping for some new clothes later. Is that alright?"_

 _Destiny nodded her head nervously as she quickly avoided looking at the pages of the journal. When Blake finally turned to her, having a concerned look on her face, "What's wrong?" She asked._

 _Destiny clenched onto her bag a little before she spoke, "It's… It's my medicine. I'm starting to run out… If it's not too much trouble for your friend… Do you think she can help get some more?"_

" _What's the medicine for?" Blake asked as she had been curious._

 _The child soon replied as she put a hand over her chest, being careful of the tube that had been connected to it. "... It's for my heart…" She said, "... Daddy told me, that I have a rare condition. When I turned 7, I was bedridden… Every time I walked, there was an intense pain; almost as someone was driving a knife through it slowly. The medicine helps takes the pain away, if I run out… I'll basically be stuck in bed."_

 _The ears under her bow twitched a little, as Blake's expression softened; she gave Destiny a comforting pat before she said, "I'm sure if we talk to Weiss about it, she'll get you the medicine you need."_

" _She's… The Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company right?" The child soon asked._

 _Blake nodded her head in reply._

" _I thought so." She said, "It's kind of weird to see her here. Cristal told me once that everyone in the Schnee Dust Company is mean, and selfish. Weiss doesn't look mean though."_

 _Blake chuckled slightly at this, "You'd be surprised. She used to be like that when we first formed the team, but after awhile, she became our friend."_

 _The little one gave a small smile, "That's good. At least I don't have to worry about being afraid of her."_

 _Blake gave her a reassuring smile before she said, "You don't have to be afraid of any of us. I'm not sure what the White Fang wanted with you and your sister but you don't have to worry about them. You're safe as long as you're with us."_

 _Destiny had an unsure look on her face before she took a sip from her orange juice._

" _I hope you're right."_

* * *

 _-_ _ **Present; Amity Colesium**_ -

The fight between JNPR and BRNZ was indeed a close shave.

There were moments when Destiny found herself covering her eyes when thought they were going to bite it; Even Cristal looked nervous at one point. Team RWBY had always reassured the two of them that they would be alright, and that they had improved on their training since they started to attend Beacon. Jaune especially from what they had been hearing. It looked as though the battle was nearing in its end; Nora had just fired her weapon to the sniper that had been hiding in the trees. She managed to jump away before the shots landed where she had been causing a smoke screen.

Just as this happened, Nora had jumped from the mountain and slammed her hammer into the ground causing the rest of team BRNZ to fly.

"Alright guys!" Jaune shouted, "Let's finish them with team attacks!" He raised his sword into the air as he gave his command, " **NORA! REN! FLOWER POWER!** "

"Wait, what?"

Jaune put his sword down as he looked to his teammates who just had a look of confusion on their faces. "Flower Power…" He said, earning a shrug from them, "... That's your team attack name."

"Since when?" Ren asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Jaune couldn't help but let out a groan, as he gestured to Nora and Ren, "Guys! We've been over this! Flower Power is Ren and Nora! Ren brings the flower! Nora brings the power!"

"Um…" Ren started to say as he scratched his head, "... How would I bring a flower?"

"No silly, not a flower!" Nora said, "Flour, like in baking!"

"Why would I bring that?" He asked.

"No not literally!" Jaune tried to explain, "It's your symbol!"

"So… What does that make us?" Pyrrha soon asked.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune nearly yelled.

"Sorry!" She said, "Look, I just want to make sure it's clearly defined!"

"You and I are Arkos! It's the thing, where we take both of our shields, and you know-Remember?"

"Wait, Arkos?"

"Yeah it's our names put together!"

"Oh right! I get it now… I think?"

"What, you don't like it?"

"What? No-I like it! It's ummm-Good?"

"Ooo~!" Nora soon said in a sing song fashion, "I sensed hesitation."

Team BRNZ couldn't help but watch their conversation as they couldn't help but feel ticked off since they were currently chatting amongst themselves; in the middle of a tournament no less! One of the members by the name of Brawnz shouted over to them, getting their attention, "Hey! What do you think you're doing!?"

"We're trying to have a team meeting!" Jaune yelled back, "Thank you very much!"

" **YEAH!** " Nora yelled, " **TEAM EARS ONLY!** "

Team BRNZ couldn't help but have a look of disbelief at the fact that they were being very serious about this.

" **YOU'RE DOING THIS NOW!?** " Brawnz yelled, " **WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT!** "

" **AND WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION!** " Jaune yelled with anger in his voice, " **WHAT DON'T YOU GET ABOUT THAT!?** "

Pyrrha tapped him on the shoulder, "Um, Jaune?"

"Yes Pyrrha?"

"I think he means we're _**ALL**_ in the middle of a fight."

It was only than Jaune had realized that they were surrounded by angry shouts from the audience around them.

" **GET ON WITH IT!** "

" **LESS TALKING MORE FIGHTING!** "

" **BOO! NO CHIT CHAT!** "

" **JUST END THE FIGHT ALREADY!** "

Jaune sighed and slapped himself in the face, physically and mentally. "Nora?" He said in defeat, "Just hit them with a hammer."

Nora's grin grew wide at this, "Got it."

"Wait, what?" Brawnz said stunned.

Before the team had time to react, Nora jumped right in front of them, armed with her hammer and her semblance. She hit them all with one swing sending them all flying out of the ring. They hit the shield just above the crowd of people, and slowly slide to the ground below.

" _And with that, team JNPR wins the match by knockout!_ " Port said over the PA, " _Literally!... Seriously, can someone go make sure they're okay?_ "

Team RWBY, Destiny and Cristal had their jaws dropped by what they had just happened, as they gave each other a quick glance. "Well…" Yang said between the six of them, "... That was a thing!"

"It certainly was unexpected." Weiss said.

Destiny who sat in Blake's lap couldn't help but say, "... But… That was…" Her eyes soon sparkled a little, " **AWESOME!** "

"Seriously? You're not in shock by what happened?" Cristal said just stunned.

" **BUT IT WAS!** " Ruby exclaimed as her eyes sparkled as well, " **THAT WAS JUST INSANE!** "

Cristal shook her head as she face-palmed herself, "... I don't think I'll ever understand you two. Like ever."

* * *

- _ **Crowbar**_ -

A lone bar stood just near a ship's docking port, as it didn't look to be that busy, even when it was the Vytal Festival. A Huntsman sat at one of the many vacant stools drinking whatever the bartender had served him; over at his side he had several glasses. He had been looking at his scroll looking over what looked to be a series of texts under a contact the name Maize, which looked to be that of a casual conversation.

He looked in another set of texts under the name of Wren; and while his side was filled with questions and conversation starters, he had gotten no reply from whoever had been Wren.

It had been long before he switched it over a series of photos. The photos contained two familiar girls, one with golden hair, and one with silver eyes; though their appeared to be two more kids in a couple of the photos; Two girls to be exact, both with different hair colors. This girl appeared to have black hair, and her eyes were matching his own while her skin was pale; While the other in the photo had red and black hair, and her eyes had been in the shade of a golden-yellow. The two of them had smiles on their faces as they stood between the girls with golden hair and the other with silver eyes.

The man's eyes soften when he laid eyes on the girl with red eyes who had been in practically every photo.

He soon looked to the television that had been provided in the bar, and saw what had been on. A caption had read under Team JNPR's name that had read, " _Team JNPR defeats team BRNZ_ " and he watched as they celebrated. Though the man himself didn't seem that impressed by how they won.

"Hmm…" The Bartender said, "Those kids weren't half bad."

The man merely scoffed at this as he took a sip from his drink.

"Amateurs." He said, before he started to message the person named Wren again.

* * *

- _ **Three Weeks Earlier**_ -

 _The next thing the two sisters knew, they were walking through the city streets though this time they were beside the team known as RWBY. They entered a clothing store nearby where Weiss was spending most of her time trying to figure out which outfit best suited them. Most of the ones she picked out were of dresses though let's just say they weren't exactly a fan. It seemed like it was an eternity before they found a set of outfits that matched their style. Currently they were waiting for them outside of the dressing room as they were trying on their new outfits; Blake had explained to them what Destiny told her earlier that morning._

" _Destiny's been sick?!" Ruby said surprised, "For how long?"_

" _Since she was seven, probably longer." Blake replied, "She said she's running out of it and needs to get more. If she doesn't, she'll be in so much pain, she won't even move."_

" _Damn…" Yang said, "... The poor kid."_

" _Did she say anything else to you?" Weiss asked._

 _Blake shook her head in reply, "I didn't want to force that kind of thing on her, so I thought it was best to say nothing."_

" _Don't worry Weiss." Ruby said to her partner, "I'm sure her or Cristal will tell us more if we give them time to get used to us."_

" _Yeah, just like Pyrrha said." Yang added._

 _Weiss let out a sigh, "I know that. But I've wondering about it since yesterday. She said, they were looking for their father, whoever he is. I'm just thinking about what kind of line work he did and what his connection is to the White Fang."_

" _I wouldn't be lying if I said I wasn't curious about it too." Blake added, "Either way, we should wait until their comfortable."_

" _I mean that should be easy from Destiny, but Cristal…" Ruby said as she started to twiddle her thumbs, "... I don't know, she doesn't really think we're trustworthy."_

" _Don't concern yourself with that sis!" Yang said, "Lucky for us, I have the perfect plan!"_

 _The three girls looked to them a bit confused; before one of them could ask Cristal and Destiny soon came out of the dressing rooms. Both of them were wearing brand new outfits; Destiny had on a light purple hoodie over a family bear t-shirt with a dark blue skirt and a pair of brown sneakers, while Cristal still had a set of bandages underneath a blue tube top and a dark purple cargo short sleeved jacket with brown pants and a pair green ankle high boots and a pair of brown buckled fingerless gloves._

 _The girls were in awe by the way they looked as some of their eyes sparkled at the sight. "I gotta admit Ice Queen, you got good tastes in this sort of thing." Cristal said as she clenched her hands._

" _Why thank you!" Weiss said with a satisfied smile, "It's one of my best traits after all!"_

" _You're not taking offense to Ice Queen?" Blake asked._

 _Destiny on the other hand fidgeted nervously, "Does… Does it look alright?"_

" _You and your sister look amazing!" Ruby complimented with a smile._

 _Destiny couldn't help but turn red from embarrassment, even Cristal had that look. "Th-Thank you." Destiny stammered._

" _Ye-yeah, thanks." Cristal said as she had stammered a little too._

" _Sweet!" Yang said, "All that's left for you guys is to get a new set of PJs!"_

 _Before anyone knew it, Yang hooked her arm around Cristal's taking her by surprise as she had started to drag her, making her scream a little. "Uh Princess! A little help here!?"_

" _Umm-" Destiny started to say before she felt Ruby pick her up._

" _Come on little Dessie! Let's go pick out your set of PJs!" Ruby said pointing forward, "Onward team RWBY!"_

" _Wait!" Destiny said as she couldn't help but hit her lightly on the head, "You don't have to carry me! I can walk myself!"_

" _No way! You're a Princess! And Princesses needs a trusty knight and stead!"_

" _That's just a nickname I tell ya!"_

 _Yang soon came back over to Destiny as she gave her a playful expression. "Oh?" Yang said, "If you're a Princess… Than that would make me a dragon, which means…" Destiny tilted her head curiously as did her sister; It hadn't been long before Yang made a menacing yet playful expression on her face as she went to grab her, "_ _ **I GET TO GOBBLE YOU UP!**_ "

" _Aah! No!" Destiny said as she giggled a little, "Have mercy!"_

" _Oh no! The beast is released!" Ruby shouted playfully as she went to attack Yang with a playful punch, "Back! Back you fiend!"_

 _As the three of them continued to play in the middle of the store with one another, Destiny didn't realize that a small pouch on her bag had been opened, as one of the photos seemed to have fallen out. Ruby took notice as she finally put Destiny down just as her giggles died down. She took a closer look at the photo as she picked it up off the floor._

 _In the photo was a girl at the age of sixteen, with magenta hair that had been braided and a pair of violet eyes. She had worn a light blue dress with a light brown sunhat and looked to be in front of a festival of some kind. She noticed that their had been writing on the back; there was date as well as a name, one of which had read Trinity._

" _Hey Destiny." Ruby said, tapping her on the shoulder, "You dropped this."_

 _Destiny's eyes brightened a little as she took the photo, "Thank you! I guess it slipped out."_

" _Hey what did I tell you?" Cristal scolded, "Keep track of your things!"_

" _Sorry." Destiny said with a pouty expression._

" _That a picture of someone you know?" Yang asked, earning a nod from the two of them, "Mind if we take a look?"_

" _Sure." Destiny replied as she handed the photo off to Yang. As Yang examined the picture Blake, and Weiss looked over their shoulder; Even Ruby as she had wanted to take a second look._

" _She's really pretty." Blake complimented as she turned to the sisters, "Is she another sister?"_

 _Both of them turned to each other as if they had been communicated through their thoughts before they turned back to them. "Actually…" Cristal soon replied, "... She's our mom." The team looked to them surprised at this._

" _That's a photo of when she was a teenager." Destiny added, "It was when our dad took her to the Vytal Festival."_

" _Aww!" Ruby said with a kitten face as her eyes sparkled, "That's so romantic!"_

" _Your father must've your mother to do that for her." Weiss said._

" _He did! He still does!" Destiny said with a smile, "He and Cristal told me all sorts of stories about her! Each one of them is so romantic!"_

" _I can vouch for that." Cristal said raising her hand a little._

" _They…" Blake started to say as she sounded concerned, "... Didn't divorce did they?"_

 _This time they had noticed that their looks changed to that of sadness, as Destiny looked to her feet and Cristal turned her head to the side. "What's wrong?" Ruby asked._

" _The truth is…" Cristal started to say as her hand shook, "..._ _ **She passed away.**_ " _Team RWBY couldn't help but gasp at this kind of information._

 _Destiny nodded her head, as she continued not looking to the four girls, "... She… Went to heaven when I was a baby. I don't remember anything about her… Only Cristal and daddy do."_

 _RWBY had a sympathetic look to the two of them as they both still had a sad expressions on their faces. "We're sorry." Ruby said, "We didn't mean to-"_

" _It's okay." Destiny told them a reassuring smile, "It's not your fault."_

 _Yang soon noticed the open part in her bag, "Guess that's why it must've slipped out." She said still with a smile, "Hold still, I'll put this back!"_

 _Destiny nodded her head, and turned around so that her back was to Yang. She kneeled down and went to put her picture back in the small pouch. Before she did however she had caught a glimpse of two photos; one of them she could tell had an image of a man, that she had assumed had been the father of her and Cristal. She wanted to take a peek but decided that wasn't the best course of action at the moment. Placing the pictures with the others she zipped up the small pouch._

" _There we go!" Yang said, "Now we won't have to worry about it falling out again."_

" _I appreciate it, thank you." Destiny said to Yang with a small smile._

" _Now how about, we go and get those PJs!" Ruby said pointing over to the nightwear section, "Weiss may be good with fashion but we're good when it comes to the nightwear!"_

" _Is it really necessary though?" Cristal asked._

" _Yes!" Weiss told her, "You and your sister are not going to sleep in your day clothes that's for sure."_

" _That's your reasoning!?" She exclaimed._

 _Destiny soon tugged on Ruby's cape getting her attention, "Can we find a set that has bears on it?"_

 _Ruby couldn't help but make a kitty face again as she let out a squeal just by the mere look on Destiny's face as she asked. She had been taken back when threw her arms around her, "Aww you're so cute, I just wanna squeeze you till you pop!"_

" _Not again!" Destiny said as she gagged a little._

" _ **WOAH HEY EASY THEIR MISS ROSE!**_ " _Cristal couldn't but exclaim as she tried to pull Destiny away from her, "_ _ **YOU'RE GONNA END UP KILLING HER THAT WAY!**_ "

* * *

 _-_ _ **Present; Crowbar**_ -

The man continued to watch on the television as the fight between NDGO and SSSN had finished. However he had been left unimpressed by how they won the match. The bartender looked impressed by this on the other hand.

"Now that was a match!" The bartender said.

The man merely chuckled, "That was a mess."

"Come on man." The Bartender said, "You didn't like them? The Vale kids? Or any of the rounds before that? What fight are you really here for?"

The man turned to the outside of the bar as he heard the sound of a ship just on the outside. He had seen that the ship was of Atlas as it had been heading towards Beacon. Though this ship in particular he had known who it had belonged to as he looked to the picture of the girl with red eyes again.

"That one." The man said.

Putting the scroll in his pocket and he finished his drink; he stood up as he wobbled a little. "Happy Vytal Festival." He said slamming the glass on the table and paying for the drinks. He soon walked out of the bar with great difficulty as he made his way to Beacon.

* * *

- _ **Amity Coliseum**_ -

After the battle had ended between JNPR and BRNZ the next fight that had taken place was between SSSN and NDGO. Destiny and Cristal were told a little bit about the team as, though Weiss mostly talked about Neptune and all that. They could only assume that she had a thing for him. Though they couldn't help but find the irony that he had been afraid of water.

It had certainly been a close match they were able to win. Let's just say it had been indeed, shocking.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief as she sat back in her seat, "Man that was close."

"Looks like the dorks made it to the next round." Yang said as she with a smile.

Blake looked over to Sun who was doing his own victory dance along with Neptune. He stopped for a moment and flashed a smile over in Blake's direction. Destiny who had been sitting on Blake's lap noticed her face turn red as she had a bashful look.

"Emphasis on dork." She said.

Cristal couldn't help but chuckle at this, while the child couldn't help but tilt her head at this, as she had been confused. "Umm…" She said as she turned over to Cristal, "... How come she looks like that?"

"You'll learn about it when your older." Cristal merely replied as she put her hands behind the back of her head, though this only confused Destiny even more.

Professor Oobleck's voice had soon come over the PA.

" _The concludes the matches for today… Please leave the coliseum in a-_ _ **CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION!**_ " The group couldn't help but cringe a little when they heard a loud noise from the microphone a little.

"Come on!" Yang said as she got up from her seat, "Let's go and congratulate them!"

Blake lifted Destiny off of her lap, as the rest of the group stood up; they went to walk out of the arena. Weiss soon stopped in her tracks, which Cristal and Destiny had taken notice of, while Ruby on the other hand bumped into her.

"Um… What are you doing?" Ruby asked.

"Weiss?" Destiny said as she took her hand, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah? Everything alright?" Cristal asked.

They soon saw a smile appear on her face, and they followed the direction to where she had been looking at the sky. They saw it had been an ship from Atlas with a set of flags attached to it.

"She's here." They heard her say, which had left each of the perplexed. Before they could ask, they saw that Weiss had already took off running to where the ship was gonna land. " **HEY! WAIT!** " Ruby yelled as she ran after her.

" **RUBY! WEISS!** " Destiny yelled as she followed, " **WAIT FOR ME!** "

" **HEY, DON'T LEAVE ME HIGH AND DRY!** " Cristal yelled as she dashed after them.

The four of them, ran ahead of Blake and Yang before they knew what happened, as they made their way to the ships docking port that Beacon had provided.

( _ **Ending Theme: The Ancient Magus Bride Ending 1-Cycle Performed By Hana Itoki**_ )


	4. Chapter 3: One of a Kind

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

- _ **Three Weeks Earlier**_ -

 _Sometime came and went since Team RWBY found and took the sisters Destiny and Cristal to Beacon Academy. Even though it had only been a short time it had already felt like it has been forever. True, they knew a little about them but it had felt as though they knew them their entire lives; Even team JNPR felt the same way. Destiny had adjusted to her surroundings despite being at Beacon for only three days and would often spend time with either RWBY or JNPR playing games and what not. Cristal on the other hand was still skeptical, as she would just do her own thing on her scroll and what not._

 _Unless Destiny asked if she could, which they found surprising honestly._

 _Today however, wasn't one of those days of just fun and such. At first things had started out fine. The two sisters had eaten their breakfast though Destiny had felt a bit chatty as she made conversations with the girls, as they told the two of them about the friends they made in Beacon._

 _Once their stomachs had settled they went outside to play a classical game of hide and seek, while Cristal had been doing her own thing; she had been reading one of Blake's many books and needless to say she was hooked on one of its stories._

 _It was pretty fun, until around the fifth time they started to play._

 _RWBY had been looking for Destiny as she had been the last one they needed to find. They had started to get worried when she hadn't called out to them. That was until they heard Cristal calling out to them for help. When they followed her voice, they saw Destiny in her arms, with a hand over her heart and she had been desperately gasping for air, despite the fact medicine had still been pumping into her heart._

 _Their first instinct of course was to call for an ambulance, but Cristal had told them not to. They tried to make an argument about it, until they realized why Cristal asked them not to call them. The White Fang as they were told by them, had made many connections to themselves, and now they could be working in any places around the cities, even something as simple like a janitor. They took her straight back to the dorms just as Destiny passed out in her sisters arms._

 _About an hour had passed by and she didn't show signs of waking up. Cristal sat at the floor just at her bedside, Blake sat nearby as well, while Ruby was pacing around the room with a worried look on her face. Weiss had her gaze out the window as she was tapping her foot at a fast pace, while Yang had been drumming her fingers on the table nearby. All of them were worried sick and why wouldn't they be? A child could be dying right in front of them and they couldn't even bring her to a doctor._

 _All of them were worried sick._

 _Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity, Destiny had let out a groan as she opened her eye. Immediately, the girl's had perked up when they saw her sit up on the bed; Cristal quickly stood as she looked over the child before she uttered a sigh of relief._

" _Thank the Gods…" Cristal said as she gave her a kiss on the forehead, making Destiny smile a little. It hadn't been long before she was crowded by the rest of the team, making the two of them jump._

" _How are you feeling?!" Weiss asked her._

" _Are you okay?!" Ruby asked immediately after._

" _Is there any pain!?" Blake added._

" _Does your chest still hurt!?" Yang asked._

 _Destiny put her hands up as she had replied calmly, "I'm okay. My chest still hurts a little, but it's not as much as before."_

" _You scared us half to death though…" Ruby said with her voice filled with concern, "... We wanted to take you to the hospital, but… Your sister told us not to."_

" _You sure that was a good idea?" Blake asked, as she turned to Cristal, "Maybe we should have a doctor look her over?"_

" _Trust me, it's better this way." Cristal replied, "This kind of thing happened more times than I can count."_

 _The girls looked surprised at this. "You mean, this happened before?" Weiss asked concerned. Both of the sisters nodded their heads in reply. "It… Sort of happens at random." Destiny said, "Doctors looked me over too, but, they couldn't really figure it out. Sometimes it won't come back after a few weeks, or a month… Sometimes it'll come back the next day. But like I said, it's random."_

" _You were sure there's no way of knowing it'll happen?" Yang asked._

 _Destiny gave a sad look on her face as she shook her head, as she looked down at her hands. Team RWBY's eyes softened at this, as they thought they had to really be careful about it. "Is there anything else we should know?" Blake asked._

" _After it happens, she has to stay in bed." Cristal replied not even batting an eye to any of them. The girls flinched at Cristal's sudden tone of voice, but they quickly noticed the look on Destiny's face, as she had been down by this outcome; Cristal soon noticed this too. "I know Princess." Cristal said patting her on the head, "But you know how this works."_

" _Yeah… But still…" Destiny said softly. She started to mumble to herself as she started to play with her hair a little. The girls couldn't help but feel sympathy for the young child. They didn't want that sad look to stay on her face. Yang's expression soon brightened, as they saw she had the biggest grin on her face._

" _Don't you worry about it!" Yang said to her, putting her hands on her shoulders, "They're other ways we can have fun while we're indoors!"_

" _Really?" Destiny said curiously, "Like what?"_

" _Two simple words Dessie…" Yang said, before she raised her fist in the air, "..._ _ **SLUMBER PARTY!**_ "

 _Team RWBY had been surprised to hear this kind of thing, as for Destiny and Cristal on the other hand… They were just confused._

* * *

 _-_ _ **Present**_ _-_

Ruby, Destiny and Cristal managed to catch up with Weiss who had been way ahead of them as they had reached the courtyard. They saw that she had been making her to the docks where all the ships from all across Remnant had landed.

" **COULD YOU SLOW IT DOWN ICE QUEEN!?** " Cristal yelled as she was trying her best to breath as she ran, " **SERIOUSLY, WHERE'S THE FIRE!?** "

" **HEY WEISS!?** " Destiny called out, " **WHY ARE YOU GETTING EXCITED!?** "

" **YEAH, I MEAN WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL!?** " Ruby shouted, " **WHAT WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT BEFORE!? WHO IS SHE!?** "

Weiss stopped in her tracks when she saw that familiar ship at the dock. The ship opened and they saw a young woman with white hair tied into a bun, stepped out with her hands behind her back. She stood up straight with her head held high and by her side were of Atlas personal. Three of the girls noticed the smile Weiss had on her face as they had never seen her this happy before.

"Winter…" They heard Weiss say.

"Winter?" Destiny said confused a little before she realized something, "... Wait a second, isn't she-"

"-Your sister you told us about?" Ruby finished for her.

Cristal took an up and down glance at the woman before she said, "Well, there is the resemblance."

" **WINTER!** " Weiss soon called out.

Weiss took notice of her younger sister's presence as well as the girls; She gave Destiny and Cristal a curious eye, towards the child especially. Destiny couldn't help but shrink at her gaze as she felt a chill, while Cristal raised her eyebrow at the look she had been giving. Destiny hid behind Cristal, though she couldn't but feel afraid; Than again she supposed it was because she was a part of the military, or at least, that's what Weiss told her.

They approached the beautiful yet cold looking woman.

"Winter! I'm so happy to see you!" Weiss said with a smile, "Oh, wait I mean-Your presence honors us."

Winter took a look around the area, taking in all that surrounded her. Finally she spoke, "Beacon. It's been a long time. The air feels… Different."

"Well I mean, it is fall." Ruby said, "So I guess it's probably colder."

"Yeah maybe." Destiny added nervously, "I mean if your cold you can buy a sweater or something. Wait, it probably wouldn't work for your uniform." Weiss's eyebrow twitched while Cristal shook her head. Cristal bonked Destiny on the head while Weiss hit Ruby so hard that she was paralyzed with pain.

"So… What are you doing here?" Weiss asked her sister.

"That information is classified."

"Oh, right! Well… How long are you staying?"

"That's also classified."

"Of course."

Destiny stood there twiddling her thumbs while Ruby and Cristal stood there awkwardly.

"Well… This is… Nice!" Ruby said trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah it is!" Destiny said trying to help out, "... I guess."

"More or less maybe?" Cristal said as she shrugged.

"You're going to love it here!" Weiss started to say, "I know you travel a lot, but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas! Vale to-The government and the schools are completely separate, can you believe it-!?"

"Weiss." Winter said stopping her, "I'm well aware of how each of the kingdom handles its… Bureaucracy. However that is no the reason why I came here."

"Right. I'm sorry." Weiss said, putting her hand down slightly.

"Nor did I come here to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle. But it looks as though I have no choice in the matter."

"Fail? But we won!"

"Only a novice would refer to that as a victory. I counted at least three strikes missed on your opponent. How do you expect Van and Nilla look up to you?"

Thus there was silence among them, only the sound of the birds and the people chatting were heard. "Leave us." Winter soon told the robots to which they complied and gave them their space. Winter let out a sigh as she gave a friendly smile to her sister, "How have you been?"

The girls were taken back when they noticed how gently Winter had sounded; though than again, she was her sister.

"I'm splendid thank you for asking!" Weiss said with her expression brightening, "Thank you for asking! It just so happens that I'm the top ranking student in our sparring class! As for the rest of my studies, it's been going wonderfully too and-"

 _ **SMACK!**_

The three of them jumped when Winter gave her a hard slap on the head; they saw a large bump forming on her head.

"Silence you boob!" Winter yelled, "I don't recall asking about your ranking! I simply asked how you've been. Have you been eating properly? Are you taking up any hobbies? Have you been making new friends?"

"Well there's Ruby, Destiny and-" Weiss cleared her throat a little, "-Melody."

"Boop." Ruby said poking her head at where the bump was formed.

"Hi." Destiny said as she waved a little.

"Sup." Cristal said as she saluted a little.

Winter turned to Ruby, looking her over. "I see." She said, "So this is the leader you wrote about in your letter. How appropriately… _**Underwhelming**_."

Ruby gave a quizzical look as she didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult. "Um… Thank you?"

Winter soon turned to the sisters; Destiny couldn't help but hide behind Ruby at her gaze while Cristal looked unphased. "Although, I don't believe Weiss has mentioned the two of you before. Destiny and Melody was it?" She said giving them a glance, "If it's alright may I ask who the two of you are exactly?"

Destiny peeked out from behind Ruby as she soon replied nervously, playing with her hair a bit "I'm uh-Blakes cousin. From Vacuole. I'm uh-Just visiting till the Vytal Festival is over."

"And you Melody?" Winter asked, "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Patch like my cousin Ruby here." Cristal replied calmly, "I'm here to see the Vytal Festival as well. Was going to watch it back at home with my uncle, but eh-" Cristal merely shrugged before she continued with a smile, "-Didn't want to miss my cousins in action. Took some time convincing my Uncle and sister, but they said they'd understand."

Ruby and Destiny (Especially) were left baffled by what she had told her, surprising how calm she sounded by what she had told her. They had no idea she was such a natural; Thankfully Winter seemed to have bought they're story, despite the look she gave.

"Nonetheless…" Winter soon said, "... I wish to thank you three for taking an interest in my sister."

"Oh!" Destiny said before she smiled kindly, "Well, your welcome."

"Hey, it's not a problem." Cristal said with a smile.

"Yes!" Ruby added while bowing, "The honor is in our-Court!"

Ruby tripped on her feet, almost losing her balance; she made Destiny stumble but Cristal was knocked over and she fell to the floor. Ruby merely laughed nervously before earning a hit on the arm by Cristal, which Winter couldn't help but chuckle amusingly at this.

"I have some business with your headmaster…" Winter said, "... But seeing as I am early, why don't you take me to your quarters?"

"Wait, really?" Weiss asked.

"Yes." She replied, "I wish to inspect them, just to see if their up to my personal standard."

"Yes of course!" Weiss said leading the way, "Just so you know, the bunk beds only look unstable."

Winter had been taken back at this, "Bunk… Beds…?"

Ruby, Cristal and Destiny looked to Winter and Weiss as they left; the Atlas personal following behind them. "So we'll catch up-!" Ruby said before she stopped herself, "-I mean! We will-We'll reconvene with you both! At a later-Juncture!"

"Um, yeah!" Destiny added, "We'll do that! It was very nice meeting you Miss Winter! I hope talk to you later! Sometime! Maybe!?" Ruby quickly took Destiny's hand and they fled the scene; Cristal couldn't help but laugh a little as she had a smile.

"Smooth." She said with a smile, "Real smooth you two."

She soon followed behind them as she couldn't help but snicker at the way they looked.

* * *

- _ **Three Weeks Earlier**_ -

 _Team RWBY had been setting everything for tonight's slumber party that they planned to have with team JNPR. Destiny sat on the couch that they provided while Cristal sat by her side watching as they worked. They watched as they were choosing a board game to play, the snacks they were going to have, and even what kind of movie they should watch. Just as the sun started to set, they were just done putting the final touch._

" _There we go!" Ruby said triumphantly, "Objective complete!"_

 _Destiny and Cristal looked around seeing that there was a total of 10 sleeping bags, one of them had a cartoon bear on it, and the snacks and movies of choice. They both had an unsure look on their faces. "Something wrong you two?" Yang asked._

" _I'm not sure about this…" Destiny said playing her hair a bit._

" _Yeah, you guys sure this is a good idea?" Cristal asked._

" _Oh it's no problem!" Ruby said, "If you guys aren't a fan of horror films, than we got other films we can watch."_

" _You kidding?!" The sisters both said in unison._

" _Cristal and I love horror films!" Destiny said excitedly, "My favorite one is called Escape! It's a horror slash thriller! It's about a man who is about to about to marry his lover. Her family actually hypnotises people and takes over their minds so that they can live longer! It's been one of my favorites since dad took us to the theater for a good old fashioned fright night! It's always had me at the edge of my seat no matter how many times I've seen it."_

 _The four girls looked surprised at this, as they didn't realize a little girl who had been no more than twelve be into that sort of genre._

" _Personally my favorite is the one about the abandoned insane asylum." Cristal said with a smirk, "It's about a news reporter who tries to uncover a big conspiracy by a super secret government. I remember the look on your old man and big sisters face when we finally got the ending!"_

" _Hey, he's your dad too, you know!" Destiny said nudging her slightly, "Don't call him old man!"_

 _The four of them had been taken back at the term they were using; Big sister, who could they be is what they were all thinking._

" _Those sound like interesting movies!" Blake said just surprised._

" _Who's big sister?" Weiss asked curiously._

" _She's our dad's friend." Destiny replied, "She often looks after me and Cristal whenever he's away. We call her big sister, since… Well that's what she's like to us."_

" _Yeah, she's always been family." Cristal added._

 _It hadn't been long before the girls noticed the looks on their faces. There was sadness on their faces as they couldn't help but feel lonesome at the thought of it all and for a moment they were in silence. It hadn't been long before the child spoke again. "Cristal and I… We've never been to a sleepover. I couldn't make friends because of my condition. Big Sister and Cristal were the only ones I had outside of dad." Destiny explained, "Whenever I tried to talk to the other kids, they would leave when they saw how I was or even if they…"_

 _Destiny began to play with her hair as she started to mumble something incoherent. Cristal gave her a couple of pats on the head before she said, "It's just been hard for the both of us. We're grateful to dad for all that he's done, but as for the choices on… It's just been difficult to try and get out their, you know? I try to do my best for her sake, but…" Cristal looked over to Destiny as she kept her head down, "... How can I when she's...?"_

 _The girls didn't really know what they could say at that point, or at least, Ruby, Blake and Yang didn't since they didn't really know how to deal with this kind of situation. Weiss however stepped forward and kneeled down to Destiny's level, before she gave her a pat on the head which Destiny couldn't help but flinch at._

" _Don't look sad Destiny." Weiss said to her with a warm smile, "It'll be alright."_

 _Destiny couldn't help but turn red from embarrassment but she still had her head down; though she wouldn't lie as she felt comforted by Weiss. She soon saw hands on top of hers, and came to realize that it was Ruby as she had a warm smile like hers._

" _Don't worry about anything else Dessie." Ruby said to her, "This sleepover is gonna be good for you and your sister, I promise."_

" _Meh, if you say so." Cristal said as she shrugged a little._

" _But… What if-" Destiny started to say before she had been cut off by Yang. She had stepped forward and went to pinch her cheeks, pulling them upwards as to make it look like she was smiling. Ruby and Blake couldn't help but snicker at the way she looked; Cristal did the same as she tried to stop herself from bursting out loud._

" _No downers okay?" Yang said as she did this, "You know what they say, no one likes a party pooper!" Just after Yang said this, she let go of her cheeks before she had started to tickle her, causing her to laugh and giggle. Soon enough there was a knock at the door._

" _They're here!" Blake soon said._

" _Well that was quick." Yang added as she stopped tickling._

 _Destiny shrunk again, and Cristal couldn't help but flinch a little; the team could tell that they were both still nervous about this. "It's okay you two." Yang said, "Just take a deep breath, relax and just have fun with out!"_

 _Destiny played with her hair nervously, and Cristal stood there awkwardly._

 _Blake soon took a turn to speak up, "Yang's right you two." She said with a warm smile, "Like we told you, the members of JNPR are our friends. Just think of this as a way to get to know, alright?" The sisters took a moment to exchange glances, giving it a thought, before they turned back to RWBY, all of them eager to await their reply._

" _I'll…" Destiny soon said with a gulp, "... I'll try."_

" _Me too… I guess." Cristal said, while she rubbed her elbow._

* * *

 _-_ _ **Present**_ -

Ruby, Destiny and Cristal sat with each other on one of the many benches provided in Beacon. Each of them had cotton candy in their hands. While Ruby and Cristal were eating the clouds of candy, enjoying the taste. Destiny on the other hand, looked a bit down, as she only took little bites from it. It hadn't been long before Cristal and Ruby noticed this from the child as they looked to her with a bit of worry.

"Something the matter Princess?" Cristal asked the child.

"Is the cotton candy not any good?" Ruby soon added.

Destiny shook her head as she took another bite, "The cotton really is delicious! It's just that… Well…"

As Destiny started to mumble while playing with her hair again, Ruby and Cristal drew their own conclusion as to why she looked down.

"You still thinking about your dad, huh?" Ruby asked.

Destiny nodded her head at this, before taking a piece of the cotton candy, popping it into her mouth. "I… Really miss him." She admitted, "It was hard enough not to see him when the White Fang had us. With the Vytal Festival here… It's just…"

Cristal gave her a pat on the shoulder, "... I know Princess… I miss seeing him too."

"I can understand why it must be away from him." Ruby soon said, to her solemnly.

Destiny let out a sigh before she continued on, "Our dad… Told us a lot about the Vytal Festival. He would take our mom to see the festival whenever they came to Anima. They would play games, watch fights live, and eat their food. He even promised to take us to this one when the time came. Don't get me wrong, it's fun, but…"

" _..._ You wish he was here with us, huh?" Cristal finished for her.

Destiny nodded her head, as she couldn't find an appetite for the candy anymore. Ruby soon gave her a hug, which took the child back. "I get what that's like. Really I do." Ruby said as she gave her comforting pats.

"You do?" Destiny asked.

"Really?" Cristal also said curiously.

Ruby nodded her head, pushing herself out of the hug gently, "Yang and I have cousins. They're both twins and daughters of our Uncle Qrow. They're the best of the best, you can tell they took a lot from our uncle. We attended Signal together when we were old enough, but…" Destiny and Cristal noticed that Ruby had a sad look on her face; her hand shaking a little at a certain thought.

"... After we graduated, Melody or well, she likes to be called Wren, decided something for her family." Ruby continued, "So she left Patch without telling our dad or hers. Yang, Maize and I helped her buy a ticket for the boat, and we said our goodbyes. She's been away for almost two years now."

"... Why did she leave?" Destiny asked.

Ruby had soon replied, "It's a long story, but let's just say, she made a promise to her sister and Yang. Because of Melody's decision to go off to the world without attending Beacon, Maize refused to attend any Huntsman academy, and helps out with our dad at Signal."

"Didn't you… Try to get this Melody girl to stay with you?" Cristal asked curiously, "And maybe attend the same Huntsman academy too?"

"We did at one point…" Ruby replied, "... But in the end, we knew we couldn't change her mind, and we just let her go." Ruby looked up to the sky, as she had a solemn look, "Yang and I still miss her. And we think about her a lot. She keeps in touch with us on our scrolls but it's still not enough."

Destiny's expression softened at this as Ruby kept her gaze to the clouds. She could tell that this Melody, or Wren as she called her could tell that she means a lot to them, like how their dead meant to them. Just from her expression, she could tell that she missed her, probably Yang too. She just didn't understand why, she could just ask their cousin just to come back.

Almost as if she read the child's thought, Ruby soon turned back to her with a smile, "But you know, despite that, Yang and I know we'll see her again. We still hold onto that hope… You and your sister should hold onto that too. Because no matter how far apart you guys are… You'll find a way back to each other."

Destiny's eyes widened slightly at this, and Cristal was taken back by this phrase. The child smiled warmly to Ruby before Cristal let out a chuckle, "That sounds corny as hell, you know?"

"Really, I don't think so." Ruby said with a giggle, "What do you say we head back to the dorms for a good old fashioned competitive Soaring Ninjas?"

"I think I'd like that." Destiny said, "But loser has to get win a prize for the winner!"

"Your on Princess!" Cristal said with confidence as she stood up, "Get ready to lose!"

"I'll beat you two in that game with my hands tied behind my back!" Ruby added raising her fist in the air.

"You're on!" The sisters said, before they started to follow Ruby. The three of them started to make their way back towards the dorm building, excited to play the game. Though just as they were halfway, they were soon drawn to the sounds of swords clashing with one another in the distance. They soon spotted a large crowd, either watching or recording something, and they saw-

"Hey, isn't that Miss Winter?" Destiny asked the two of them.

Ruby looked closely and saw the resemblance as she almost flew in the air. "I think you're right!" Ruby said, "Come on! Let's go check it out!"

The three of them soon made their way towards the crowd, pushing their way through the sea of people until they got to the front of it all, where Weiss had been. Destiny saw what appeared to be an older man with black hair, bearing a sword that was also a gun as he fought Winter. As she saw his red eyes, she couldn't help but feel a familiar sensation.

"That man…" The child said softly.

"Ice Queen!" Cristal said getting Weiss's attention not noticing the man at first, "The hell's going on!?"

"Some crazy guy just showed up and started attacking my sister!" Weiss replied as she had nearly yelled her answer.

"Oh no!" Ruby said worriedly, "Who would do such a-"

The moment Ruby's eyes laid upon the man, she let out some sort of squee, making the three of them jump.

" **OH MY GOD!** " She exclaimed, " **THAT'S MY UNCLE!** "

"What!?" Cristal and Weiss exclaimed in disbelief.

"Your Uncle?" Destiny said surprised.

" **KICK HER BUTT UNCLE QROW!** " Ruby cheered on.

" **TEACH HIM RESPECT WINTER!** " Weiss shouted.

Destiny nor Cristal couldn't believe what they were hearing, let alone seeing, than again as the saying goes, seeing is believing. Not only did they meet Weiss's older sister, that she often spoke highly of, but Ruby and Yang's uncle had been here as well. The Uncle that taught Ruby how to fight, the one who Yang and Ruby often told stories of to Destiny every night, the one who had been the father of twins.

Honestly, they couldn't believe that this was happening right now. None of them seemed to have noticed that just behind them, Mercury had been in the back of the crowd. He had a anxious look on his face as he saw Qrow engage Winter, before he quickly made his way out of the area.

The fight between Qrow and Winter pressed on.

No matter how many times they went to attack, they were both equally matched in this fight. Eventually Winter had run up a pillar after having dodged an attack from Qrow. She ran across the way, before Qrow armed himself; catching up to her, he fired several shots in Winters direction, but with great agility she was able to dodge every bullet she fired. Qrow soon managed to get in front of her, as he finally got a shot near her feet, forming a dust cloud.

Though Winter had been quick to recover as she emerged from the smoke, flying towards Qrow with a war cry, drawing another sword from the saber she held. Despite Qrow blocking her attack, the two of them toppled onto the ground and back onto the courtyard. Swords started to clash with one another as almost no one around the area had trouble catching their movements, as Winter finally managed to push him back from her.

Thrusting her sword into the ground a glyph appeared, and the next thing anyone knew, blue birds came practically out of thin air as they started to fly towards a Qrow at full force. He was blinded momentarily, before a slash of wind came her way, as she nearly managed to dodge his attack.

A glyph appeared behind her, as she prepared herself to charge, and Qrow started to make preparations of his own. With a push of a button, the gears on his swords started to move, making his blade more curve like; however to Winter and everyone's surprise really, he released the button and it formed back to his sword.

Once again to Winters surprise, he disarmed himself, as he had put it back on his holster. Qrow merely smirked in her direction as he coaxed her to come get him.

Winter had complied as she flew towards him, with her sword armed and-

" **SCHNEE!** "

The tip of her sword nearly touched his neck as she stopped herself just in time. She turned and saw it had been her general, General Ironwood to be precise.

"General Ironwood, sir!" She said as she stood straight.

"What in the world do you think you're doing!?" Ironwood asked, practically demanding an answer from her.

Winter gave an immediate reply, "He started the altercations sir!"

"Actually that's not true." Qrow soon added, before he put his hands behind his head, "She attacked first."

"Is that right?" Ironwood asked, giving a quizzical look in Winter's direction.

Winter was about to say something but stopped herself from doing so as she turned her gaze to the floor. That pretty much answered his question,

"And you…" Ironwood said, turning to Qrow.

Qrow looked over to him as he pointed to himself, as if to ask, "Are you talking to me?"

"What in the world are you doing here?" Ironwood asked as he approached.

"I could be asking you the same thing." Qrow replied.

"I-"

"Now, now."

Ozpin soon came into view of the crowd, as he had a cup of coffee and Glynda was at his side. Destiny and Cristal took note of Ozpin, though Cristal on the other hand couldn't help but give him an odd look.

"That's your Headmaster?" Destiny asked curiously.

"Yup, that's him." Ruby said, as she stepped in front of the child, "Stay behind me for now okay?"

Destiny nodded her head at this, while Cristal looked to Ozpin with a quizzical look. "Is something wrong?" Weiss asked, noticing the look she gave.

"Nothing, just thinking." Cristal replied as she put her hood over her head as to hide her face, not realizing that for a moment, Ozpin looked in her direction.

"There's a sanction fight just around the corner at the coliseum." The Headmaster said, "That I can assure has better seats. And popcorn."

"Break it up everyone!" Glynda said to the students, "We will take care of this mess!"

"Let's go." Ironwood said as he fixed up his tie a little.

Winter merely followed behind him, without saying another word. Ruby, Weiss, Destiny and Cristal proceeded to get themselves through the crowd just as they began to disperse. Just as they saw Ironwood and his men leave they soon noticed Penny among them. She waved to Ruby as she had a smile on her while Ruby waved back, leaving Destiny and Cristal to wonder who the girl with the pink bow had been.

It hadn't been long before she leaped, clinging onto Qrow's arm, making him grunt.

" **UNCLE QROW!** " She yelled as she hung like a monkey when he lifted her up, "Hi!" She couldn't help but kick her legs a little, "It's so good to see you! Didja miss me!? Didja miss me?!"

"Nope." Qrow replied with a smirk.

He gave a pat on Ruby's head which she couldn't help but enjoy, though-

"Qrow." Ozpin soon said, getting his attention, not taking note of the fact that his niece slipped off, "A word, please."

Ruby had been able to recover quick after but a few seconds; just as she did, Qrow leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I think I'm in trouble."

"You did kind of tear up the courtyard." Ruby said with an amused expression.

Qrow made the same expression, "Yeah, I did." He gave her his fist and in turn she gave him hers, "Catch you later kiddo."

Before Qrow went to join up with Ozpin he noticed Destiny just behind Weiss, and Destiny seemed to have noticed him looking at her. She shrunk a little at his gaze. Though Qrow simply gave her a smile as he gave her a wink which honestly surprised the child as she watched him join up with Ozpin and Glynda.

"And suddenly your recklessness makes sense." Weiss couldn't help but say.

"You're just mad because he whooped butt." Ruby said as she nudged her elbow.

Weiss merely gave her a look at this, "That was a draw at best."

Cristal gave a shrug, "Meh, they were both evenly matched in my opinion."

It hadn't been long before she noticed the face Destiny had been making as she watched Qrow walk away.

"Hey, Princess?" Cristal said leaning over her making her jump a little, "Something the matter?"

Destiny shook her head as she replied, "It's really weird but… _**I feel like I've met him before**_..."

* * *

- _ **Three Weeks Earlier**_ -

 _The sleepover that Yang had planned was actually going better than expected. Destiny's nervousness seemed to have just faded as she talked more with JNPR, and they even found Cristal engaging in their conversations. They had all kinds of fun with the horror films that they had watched and the video games they had played. They even played the board game known as Remnant: The Game._

 _Ruby did warn the two sisters about playing the game and how they would get their hearts broken, though let's just say they didn't take their warning for granted as they learned the hard way what_ _ **EXACTLY**_ _her words had meant._

 _Right now they were playing the classic game Truth or Dare. Nora had just did a dare, as did Weiss which had been to put makeup on each other with their eyes shut; they were currently getting it all off of their faces just as Yang was finishing up telling a truth._

" _... And then after I beated up Junior's henchmen, or well-henchwomen I punched him right out the window nearly busting up the entire building!"_

 _Everyone couldn't help but be amazed by this story as they were all invested. "And that really happened?" Blake asked turning to Ruby._

" _In my defense, the fight was over by the time I got there." Ruby replied._

" _Well that is one way to spend a night out on the town I'll give you that!" Cristal said with a laugh; Yang laughed along with her at this._

" _What were you doing in a place like that anyway?" Ren couldn't help but ask._

" _That's a story for another day." Yang said, "But enough about me, Pyrrha! It's your turn! Pick your poison!"_

 _Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh at Yang's enthusiasm, as she thought about it for a moment, "I think… I'll go with truth this time."_

" _Who's got a question for her?" Nora asked._

" _Oh I do!" Destiny said as she raised her hand, "Out of all the stories you've heard, which one was your favorite before you went to sleep?"_

" _My favorite story?" Pyrrha said a before she started to think of her answer, "I think my favorite one is…_ _ **The Story of the Seasons**_ _."_

 _Everyone seemed to be in awe by her answer, Destiny especially as her eyes practically sparkled._

" _That's a really good one!" Jaune commented, making Pyrrha turn red a little at the smile he gave._

" _That's my favorite story too!" Destiny soon said with a smile._

" _Oh is it now?" Pyrrha asked with a an amused look on her face._

" _Does your sister read it to you?" Ren asked._

" _Sometimes." Cristal answered, "Most of the time dad reads it to her."_

" _Aww, that's sweet!" Nora commented, "You're dad sounds sweet!"_

 _Destiny laughed a little, "You know sometimes, dad would do an impression of the Wizard, Cristal and big sister and I would play the maidens!"_

" _Please don't bring up something embarrassing." Her sister said as her face turned red._

" _What you mean? It sounds cute!" Ruby said._

" _ **OF COURSE YOU'D THINK THAT!**_ " _She couldn't help but yell, causing everyone in the group to laugh at her outburst, making Cristal turn even more red._

" _It's your turn now Destiny." Ren soon said, "Truth or Dare?"_

" _Um…" Destiny started to say, "... Truth?"_

" _Okay, since we're on the subject." Blake soon said, "What's your father like? If you don't mind sharing that is."_

 _Destiny soon started to twiddle her thumbs as she started to turn a little red as well, "Where do I even begin…?" She started to say, "... Well… Ever since I can remember it's always been us and our father. He's not really home as often as we would like, but he does his best to spend whatever time he has. People might not see him as a nice person, but he really is sweet when you get to know him. He's sweet to big sister, Cristal and I, and is pretty funny."_

" _Spoken like your mom." Cristal said as she ruffled her hair a bit, "As you can tell, the little Princess here really looks up to him."_

" _When you say people don't see him as a nice person, do you mean to say, he's tough around the edges?" Ruby asked._

 _Destiny had been a bit hesitant at this as she replied, "I uh… I suppose you can call it that."_

" _And you said he's barely at home?" Nora asked._

" _He's always busy with work." Cristal soon replied, "Has to the landlord happy where we live."_

" _We're…" The child started to say, "... Not exactly rolling in money I'm afraid. He has to work all the time to keep our home from getting lost, as well as my medicine. I miss him whenever he's away, but… I know it's not his fault. He still tries his best to be there and I'm grateful to him for that."_

" _You must really love him." Blake said._

 _Destiny nodded her head at this as she gave a sad smile._

" _She takes a lot after mom." Cristal soon said to the group, "... She was like that too when she was around. Despite what people thought about him, or what his past was like she still loved him for who he is. I might've had my ups and downs with him, but Destiny on the other hand… She'll love him no matter what even if the world says it's wrong to do so."_

 _Everyone soon noticed the look on Destiny's face when she thought about her father again. Though she had a smile, her eyes looked sad and distant, like she did a couple of times prior._

 _Thankfully, Ruby thought of a way to lighten the mood, "You know, the nights still ahead of us, why don't we watch a good old fashion animated film?"_

" _Oh! I know a good one!" Nora said, before pulling out a DVD box, "_ _ **MY NEIGHBOR CATARIO!**_ "

" _Ooo, that sounds like a good one!" Yang said._

" _That's the first I've heard of it." Weiss said._

" _Me too." Blake added._

" _You guys are gonna love it, trust me!" Nora told them._

" _You sure you guys don't need to get up early?" Cristal asked._

" _It's fine! We have time for one more movie!" Ruby said reassured her before she looked to Destiny, "What do you say, one more flick?"_

 _Destiny looked unsure but her expression seemed to have changed to a warm smile, "... I'd like that."_

 _All of them cheered and went ahead to get the snacks and set up the movie, which Destiny of course helped to gather. Though halfway through the film each of them fell asleep. Some had been scattered across the floor, while some had been resting against each others shoulders._

 _Destiny and Ruby included._

* * *

 _-_ _ **Present**_ -

After the encounter in the courtyard, Mercury had told Cinder who he had seen and needless to say, she had been distraught by this.

"And you're sure?" Cinder asked as she paced.

"Bad hair, had a scythe, and smelled like our dad after a bad day." Mercury said sitting on one of the chairs provided, "It was him."

"This is bad." Emerald said nervously, "What do we do?"

Cinder had thought about it for a moment before she had given her reply to them; sounding calm, "Nothing. We stay the course. They have no idea who we are. So we have no reason to worry."

She had gone over the table, picking up a scroll as she did. "Besides…" She said as she opened up something on it, "... The heavy lifting is already been taken care of… Thanks to our clever little friend."

An icon of a pawn soon popped up at the corner of her scroll and it looked as though she had finished downloading something.

"Speaking of which…" She said, "... It appears we have a new access point."

"Anywhere good?" Emerald asked.

"You could say that." She replied, "Go to your rooms. I'll prepare everything for tomorrow."

Emerald and Mercury nodded as they went to rest; just as they left the room, a familiar girl with pink and brown hair girl entered the room.

"Ah, Neo." Cinder greeted not taking her eyes off the screen, "How goes the search?"

Neo soon took out her scroll from her pocket, pulling up a photo. She held it out for Cinder to see after she took her eyes off of her own device. There in the photo she saw a picture of a child and a teen, in the crowd of students from the courtyard earlier. One possessing magenta hair and the other had black hair.

"So you found them together?" Cinder said pleased, "Perfect. This will make things a lot easier."

She had soon noticed the look Neo had been giving her. She had a look of anger, yet her eyes were written with concern of the two girls in the photo. Cinder had been quick to conclude what she had been thinking.

"You're worried about those two? You have no reason to fear, I have no intention of making contact or hurting them in anyway. Well… For the child anyway…"

Neo pulled out her blade, holding it close to Cinder's face, though she didn't seem phased by this as she looked to her calmly.

"Still willing to protect them even with everything on the line? Be careful with what you're doing. Despite them being free I can make sure they have themselves a little accident."

Neo still held her glare as she pressed the blade a bit closer to her cheek. It was almost as if she had been asking what it was she was planning.

"You know I can't tell you that. All I can tell you is that child… _**His Princess**_ … Has her part to play. As for the girl, well, let's just say that another story."

Neo tilted her head a little at this as she wonder what she meant by that. Cinder merely pushed the blade away from her face before she gave her reply, "You'll see when the time comes, but for now…"

On Cinder's device she pulled up a couple of photographs of different students on her scroll, that resemble that of a slot machine. It appeared as though she was choosing, as she soon picked her candidates.

" _ **Let's give the crowd a good fight**_ …"

( _ **Ending Theme: The Ancient Magus Bride Ending 1-Cycle Performed By Hana Itoki**_ )


	5. Chapter 4: One Picture, A Thousand Words

- _ **Two Weeks Earlier**_ -

 _It was already the start of the new week, and team RWBY had no answers as to what the story was with Destiny and Cristal and the White Fang. True at the slumber party, the child had told them a little about their father, but that's all she had said about him; It was understandable as they had been still trying to get used to what had been happening around them._

 _Though to be honest, it had been one of the only few things that has been on their mind. Even team JNPR had been on the verge of going insane just thinking about it. It was late a night in the dorm, and everyone had been sound asleep since they had a long day._

 _Well… All except one._

 _Blake had been the first to wake up to the sound of sniffles and choked sobs. Curious to what it could be, she stood up from the bed and noticed the sounds had been coming from the bathroom as the door had been open slightly. Looking inside she saw it had been Destiny in the corner of the bathroom as her head had been buried in her knees._

 _She turned on the light, before approached the child, "Destiny?"_

 _Destiny flinched a little as she picked up her head; her eye had been red from crying and her eyepatch was wet from the tears she had shed._

" _Is everything okay?" Blake asked as she approached._

" _I…" She started to say as she choked from her sobs, "... Had a bad dream… I couldn't fall back asleep…"_

 _Blake soon took her into her arms as she let her sit on her lap. "It's okay." Blake said as she started to massage her back, "I know bad dreams can be scary but… Not sleeping isn't good for you either."_

" _I-" Destiny sniffled, "-I know… But I can't..."_

 _Soon enough, the lights in the dorm room came on, and four familiar girls came into view. They all looked a bit tired, considering it had been in the middle of the night._

" _Blake…?" Weiss said with a yawn, "... What's going on?"_

" _Everything okay?" Yang asked._

" _I'm fine." Blake replied, "But Destiny is…"_

 _The girls didn't quite understand what Blake was trying to say, until they noticed how Destiny looked as she had been drenched from her own tears. "Oh my gosh!" Ruby exclaimed, "Are you okay?! Why are you crying?"_

 _Destiny tried to answer, but this time she found herself struggling to do so as she choked on her words a little. Cristal seemed to have gotten the idea of what she had been trying to tell them as she went over to her. She started to shush her gently as she took her in her arms._

" _It's alright Destiny." Cristal said to her softly, "They're gone now. You're safe. It's okay."_

 _Destiny merely nodded her head as she continued to whimper. She went to hug her, and Cristal had no hesitation of returning it to her._

" _She had a bad dream." Blake soon clarified to her team as she noticed they were still confused, "I'm not sure what it was, but she's afraid to go back to sleep."_

" _A bad dream huh?" Yang said, "Well, bad dreams are never good."_

" _Is there anything we can do to help?" Weiss asked._

" _I don't know, maybe?" Cristal replied as she picked up her sister off of the floor, "Any of you guys know a trick to help her to fall asleep?"_

" _Oh I know!" Ruby soon said, "How about we make a fresh batch of cookies, and pour some milk?"_

 _Cristal and the rest of her teammates couldn't help but give her a quizzical look at this; Ruby on the other hand remained oblivious. "What?" She asked as she tilted her head a little._

" _I said things to help her sleep for Pete's sake!" Cristal said to her, "What are you trying to do, give her a sugar rush!?"_

" _But it helps me to fall asleep." Ruby reasoned._

" _That's because your you." Yang told her sister as she hit her on the head lightly._

 _Blake soon turned to Cristal, "What do you do when she's like this?"_

" _I don't do much, it's mom that helps with that mostly." Cristal replied._

" _What do you mean?" The Fanus asked._

 _Destiny soon replied as she choked between her words, "When… Whenever I can't sleep… Dad would play… A recording of mom… Singing…"_

" _Do you have it with you now?" Yang asked._

 _Destiny didn't answer, though Cristal on the other hand shook her head in reply with a sad look on her face. "Not sure what else to do at this point…" Cristal said honestly._

 _RWBY tried to think of a way to help out the young child; it hadn't been long before Ruby thought of an idea as she glanced over to Weiss. "You know…" She started to say as she went beside her partner, "... If it's a lullaby you want, Weiss here is the girl for the job!"_

" _Wait, what!?" Weiss nearly yelled._

 _Blake and Yang turned to her, the two of them having a similar idea, while Cristal looked shocked. "Ice Queen here can sing?" She asked._

" _Ye-yes but I-" Weiss started to say before she had been cut off by Yang._

" _Come on, you'll do it for little Dessie won't you?" Yang asked with a pleading look in her eye._

" _You are the best singer out of all of us here." Blake admitted._

" _But I need to practice before I-" Weiss tried to reason._

" _It's just a lullaby though!" Ruby said to her, "Please, do it for this sweet little girl!"_

 _Weiss had been about to make an argument before she looked to Destiny again as she still had been in tears. She ultimately let out a sigh, as her expression softened, "Alright. But let's tuck her in first."_

 _The team practically cheered at this before they went to tuck Destiny back into the bed. Making sure she had been comfortable, Weiss sat at her bedside; she took a deep breath before she started to sing with a beautiful angelic voice._

 _ **Dream of anything**_

 _ **I'll make it all come true**_

 _ **Everything you need**_

 _ **Is all I have for you**_

 _ **I'm forever**_

 _ **Always by your side**_

 _ **Whenever you need a friend**_

 _ **I'm never far behind**_

 _ **If the stars all fall**_

 _ **When the there's no more light**_

 _ **And the moons should crumble**_

 _ **It will be alright**_

 _ **Don't you worry about the dark**_

 _ **I will light up the night with the love in my heart**_

 _ **I will burn like the sun**_

 _ **I will keep you safe and warm**_

 _ **Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day**_

 _ **I will be there to keep all your fears away**_

 _ **With a touch of my hand I will turn your life to,**_

 _ **Gold**_

 _ **With the touch of my hand**_

 _ **I'll turn your life to gold**_

 _As Weiss finished her song, they saw Destiny had fallen asleep, though she had a more peaceful look on her face and it looks almost as though the tears had dried up. The team as well as her older sister couldn't help but sigh with relief. Even Weiss smiled as she brushed some of the child's hair away from her face._

" _That was easier than I thought it was going to be." Weiss couldn't help but admit._

" _Does she always sleep this easily?" Blake asked._

" _All it takes is a lullaby and she's out like a light." Cristal said with a shrug._

 _Ruby couldn't help but squeal as she kneeled just next to the child, "She looks so cute when she's asleep!"_

 _Weiss shushed her at this, "Your gonna end up waking her up if you raise your voice like that!"_

" _Relax." Cristal reassured her, "Once she's like this, almost nothing can wake her. Hell, you can set off a bomb and she'll still be sleeping like a log."_

" _Really?" Ruby asked._

 _All Cristal did was nod in reply. The group had soon been startled by a sudden flash, though it hadn't been long before they noticed that it was courtesy of Yang, who had taken a picture. "What?" Yang said, noticing the looks on their faces, "It lasts longer."_

" _Oh Gods…" Cristal groaned, "... You're worse than big sister…"_

" _We should get some sleep." Blake soon said to the group, "We have a long day ahead of us."_

" _You're telling me." Weiss said, "I have to go pick up more of that medicine."_

" _Oh, I'll go with you!" Ruby said jumping a little, "You could use the company."_

 _Weiss let out a sigh, "Fine. Let's just get to bed."_

 _Just as the team headed back to their bunks, Cristal went towards the restroom provided. "You're not gonna sleep yet?" Yang asked._

" _I'll just be a minute." Cristal replied before she went inside shutting the door gently behind her before anyone else could say anything more. Cristal went to the corner of the bathroom, as she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Looking to where Destiny sat earlier as she saw a small puddle of a familiar substance on the floor._

 _True there were tears, but if the others had gotten a closer look, they would've noticed the black mist, emitting from the small puddle. Just as Cristal got some on her finger, the black substance along with the tears, disappeared._

" _It's just as dad said…" She said to herself softly, as the rest of Destiny's tears vanished from the floor._

 _It hadn't been long before she heard whispers; it had been almost as if, someone was calling out to her. When she turned to where she had heard it, she saw no one was there. Though she knew the voice all to well as her expression became a fearful one._

" _..._ _**Mother**_ … _.?"_

* * *

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening Theme-When It Falls Performed by Casey Lee Williams**_ )

- _ **Present; Amity Coliseum**_ -

The next day, came for all students alike as it was going to be the start of the doubles rounds for the Vytal Festival. Everyone was more excited than at the start of the fights as more cheers emitted from the crowd of people. Team RWBY along with Destiny and Cristal sat at the stands, just as cheerful as everyone else; especially since they got to have their own seats.

"This is going to be amazing!" Destiny said as she sat next to Ruby, "I can already tell!"

"It better be, otherwise they'll be refunding a lot of people!" Cristal joked sitting just beside her sister, "Who would've thought that the fights would include doubles."

"They also have the singles too!" Ruby told them, "But you know what they say, the best comes last."

"I'm really looking forward to it!" The child said.

"Speaking of which, you comfy in that chair?" Yang asked.

"This feels fantastic." Cristal told her as she put her hands behind her head, "I feel like I'm the Queen of a castle."

Nora who sat just nearby with her own team heard this as she yelled, " **EXCUSE ME, THAT'S MY JOB!** "

" **CAN'T YOU TAKE A JOKE!?** " Cristal yelled back.

Weiss soon noticed Destiny's arms had been full with all sorts of snacks, ranging from candy to chips. "Are you sure you're going to finish all of those?" She asked, "You'll get sick if you eat too much."

"Don't worry Weiss." Destiny reassured her, "I plan to share them with everyone. I even got chocolate for you!"

Just when Destiny was about to get a chocolate bar, the snacks she had been carrying, fell right out of her hands; she tried to catch them but had only managed to catch two of them. "Oops." She said when she saw the group giving her an awkward look; the child let out a giggle, "Sorry." Destiny started to pick up the snacks, as did the others.

Right when she went to pick up a box of fruit gummies, someone had beaten her to the punch. In front of the child was a girl with long hair and bunny ears at the top her heard head.

"Here." She said with an accent, "I think this is yours."

Destiny shrunk a little but took the box from her, "Tha-thank you."

Team RWBY soon noticed the girl, and they immediately recognized her. "Velvet! Hi there!" Ruby greeted with a smile.

"You know her?" Cristal asked the team.

"Yeah, she's another friend of ours." Blake replied, "This is Velvet Scarlatina."

Velvet soon said with a smile, "Hi guys, it's nice to see you." She looked over to Cristal as she nodded in greeting, "And it's nice to meet you um…"

"Melody." Cristal said holding her hand out to her, "I'm Ruby and Yang's cousin from Patch."

"Ah, a cousin?" She said with a smile before she took her hand, "It's very nice to meet you!"

Soon enough the rest of Velvet's team came into view as they gave a wave. "Hey you guys!" Yang said, "What's up?"

"We're doing pretty good." Coco said, "All prepared for the doubles rounds today."

"Who did you choose to represent your team?" Blake asked their leader.

"Myself and Yatsuhashi." She replied, "You can better believe we're gonna be kicking ass out there."

Yatsuhashi soon took notice of Destiny as she couldn't help but shrink a little. "Hello there little one." Yatsuhashi said with a small smile, "What's your name?"

Destiny tried to answer but found herself stuttering at her words. Weiss had been quick to help her out. "This here is Destiny." She said, "She's Blake's cousin."

"You never said you had a cousin." Velvet said as she turned to her.

"She was dropped off here unexpectedly." Blake briefly explained, "She's only going to be here till after the Vytal Festival is over."

"H-Hi." Destiny stammered, as she waved.

Coco looked over the girl's outfit before she smiled. "Love the eyepatch kid." She said as she moved her sunglasses slightly giving her a wink, "Brings out a good side of you."

Destiny couldn't help but blush at this, "Thank you." She said as she played with her hair a little, "I like the flower you have. It goes great with your hat."

Coco couldn't help but chuckle at this adjusting her sunglasses back to the way it had been. "I like your taste." She said before holding out her hand as to give her a high five, "Give me some."

Destiny smiled back at this, as she gave Coco what she wanted. "We're gonna get along just fine." She said with a smile as she turned to Blake. Soon enough, Professor Ports voice came over the PA.

" _The randomization process is complete! Ladies and gentlemen your doubles tournament line-up! The first match will be…_ "

The screen appeared just at the top of the coliseum showing the first matchup of the doubles.

" _... Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi of Beacon vs. Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black of Haven!_ "

"Looks like we're up." Coco said turning to Yatsuhashi as he nodded, "Wish us luck."

With that her and Yatsuhashi proceeded towards the stage; with Emerald and Mercury on the opposite side of where they were standing. The four of them stood in the middle as the stage prepared to choose its surroundings.

Coco took a glance at Emerald's outfit, "Hey, love the outfit."

"I'll try not to get blood on it." Emerald said with a smile.

Yatsuhashi armed himself with his weapon, "I can't promise you'll leave here without a scratch."

Emerald merely laughed, "I _**WON'T**_ be the one bleeding."

"Oh, I like her." Coco said with a smile.

The stage had soon been set, though it was divided into four instead of halves. There had been a field of grass, a city in ruin, a geyser field and a forest.

" _Three… Two… One…_ _ **BEGIN**_ _!_ "

Emerald and Mercury both backed up into the field behind them, which had confused Coco and Yatsuhashi. They didn't have much time to think about a strategy as Coco pulled out her weapon; she started to cut through the field of grass.

( _ **Song Begins: I'm the One Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

 _ **Welcome to the bloodbath**_

 _ **Jump into the tub**_

 _ **Fist-fight, death-match**_

 _ **Come and join the club!**_

Coco had finally cleared the grass and they both saw that they were nowhere to be seen, which made the two of them alert.

" **LOOK OUT!** " They heard Blake yell.

Mercury was suddenly seen jumping from the ky and went to attack Coco from behind. Yatsuhashi had been quick to push her out of the way and block him.

 _ **Kick-start your face with a metal clad boot**_

 _ **You should give up now, your relations moot!**_

 _ **Oh yeah!**_

 _ **Uh-huh!**_

He pushed Mercury back with great distance though he had been quick to land on his feet. Coco started to open fire again, though he ran with a quick pace with the help of his gun on at the bottom of his shoes.

Team SSSN sat in a crowd as well, and they were watching the fight take place and they were colored impressed.

"Whoa, he's good!" Sun commented.

His fellow teammate Scarlet looked around; he saw that Emerald was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah…" Scarlet said, "... But where's the girl?"

Destiny and Cristal watched as the fight continued on. They watched closely at his movements and wondered about something.

"That guy…" Destiny said to her sister, "...And the way he fights… And than… Those names… It's odd… I'm not sure why… But… It sounds… Familiar…"

"Familiar in a sense?" Cristal soon asked.

"I don't know…" The child said, "... It's just… Familiar…"

 _ **I'll run circles around ya, I can touch the sky**_

 _ **I'm gonna make you hurt, and I'm gonna make you cry**_

 _ **You wanna mess around? Well come on let's go**_

 _ **I got no time to waste, so let's start the show**_

Mercury soon charged at the two of them as he went to attack. Coco quickly aimed towards him, but he had been quick to maneuver her once she began to fire. He landed on the gun giving her a kick to the head. Yatsuhashi went to attack from behind though he dodged him.

He quickly went at him to hit him, though Yatsuhashi was quick to beat him to the punch as he went to hit him on his side. Though it didn't really matter since he flipped over Coco and forced her to point her gun in Yatsuhashi's stomach which made them both freeze.

 _ **I'm the one that your mama said**_

 _ **Don't mess with them or you'll end up dead**_

 _ **That type they don't follow any rules**_

 _ **You're looking tall, your looking tough but sorry dude it's not enough**_

 _ **Your girlfriend's purse won't be enough to win this duel!**_

Coco quickly retracted her gun as she went to hit Mercury with it, but he managed to flip back a good few feet before he fired projectiles towards them. With him practically breakdancing, the bullets were in a form of a tornado, before he kicked two of them towards them, blinding them momentarily, before he had appeared behind them with tremendous speed, before he proceeded to attack.

 _ **The bigger they are, then the more than they bleed**_

 _ **The deeper the scars that won't heal**_

 _ **Buckets of pain as they lie there in shame**_

 _ **Knowing how true defeat feels**_

He grabbed them both before he gave them a series of kicks, flipping the two of them overhead, so that they both would land on their back. Just as Coco stood, a chain emerged from the trees, wrapping around her waist; it pulled her into the forest before she could react.

" **COCO!** " Yatsuhashi yelled, reaching out to her.

Just as he was distracted, Mercury went to attack from behind and went to give him a kick. Yatsuhashi beat him to the punch as he grabbed him by the neck before he tossed him across the stage. He jumped in the air to attack Mercury with his sword, though he managed to block his causing a tremendous shockwave.

 _ **I'm the one!**_

 _ **That was born in a nightmare, a murder's son!**_

 _ **Got no gun!  
But I bleam like a blade and I'm harder than iron!**_

They engaged in combat once again, with Mercury delivering kicks and Yatsuhashi attacking with his sword. They both continued to repeat this pattern until Mercury had gotten the upperhand in the fight. Just as Yatsuhashi went to swing his blade, Mercury saw that there had been an opening. He kicked him hard in the stomach causing him to trip. His head just happened to land on the geyser just as it had gon active, making him scream and causing a ringing sound in his ears.

He stood up, his vision fuzzy and his aura nearly depleted. Just as he tried his best to recover, Mercury took an opportunity to give one final strike.

 _ **I'm the one!**_

 _ **Who rose out of filth and was loved by no one!**_

 _ **Delusion!**_

 _ **I'll still till your blind and defeat you from inside your mind!**_

Coco was dragged deep within the forest until she had hit a tree, making the chain around her waist unwrap, and retracting to whomever had thrown it. She managed to regain herself but she realized something had been missing from her face. She realized that her shades had fallen off and to make matters worse they were broken.

"I take it back." She said, "... I _**DON'T**_ like her."

A shot was soon fired from within the tree, though luckily Coco was quick to dodge. She backflipped a good distance, before she started to fire from her weapon, revealing her attacker to be Emerald. She dodged many of her bullets, as she fired back, jumping from one tree after another, until she disappeared within the branches.

"Damn it!" Coco cursed, as she remained unaware she heard an odd sound.

"Coco!"

She turned and saw Yatsuhashi approaching her from behind as she got herself ready again.

"Watch out!" She told him, "She's in the trees!"

The buzzer soon sounded off in the distance causing her to look up at the screen seeing that Yatsuhashi had been knocked out. Professor Port had soon announced, " _And with that final blow, Yatsuhashi has been eliminated!_ "

" **WHAT!?** "

Coco turned around and saw Yatsuhashi was nowhere to be seen. At this point her body started to shake though she kept her guard up despite her fears. Her head darted from one direction to another when she heard odd sounds.

"Damn!"

She kept on trying to find her enemy; unfortunately for her, she did not notice Emerald approach from behind. With just one attack, Coco had been sent flying through the air landing in the middle of the stage. Emerald came out with a satisfied smile as she had been swinging her weapon.

" _And with an amazing upset, Emerald and Mercury are victorious!_ " The crowd heard Oobleck say after the final buzzer was heard.

Teams RWBY and CFVY were shocked to see that Coco and Yatsuhashi lost the fight. "Coco?" Velvet said with worry.

Her teammate Fox gave her a comforting pat as to reassure her. Just when Ruby turned to talk to Destiny she noticed that she had been groaning; she had been holding her head like it was about to come off at any given moment. Cristal had looked to her younger sister with concern as she didn't know what she should do to help her.

"Hey…" Ruby said, "... Are you okay?"

Destiny looked to Ruby as she was still suffering from a headache, "I'm… I'm alright. Don't worry…"

"Breath." Cristal told her gently, "Just breath…"

As Ruby and the others comforted her, they failed to notice Cinder sitting behind them. She smiled, eyeing Destiny in particular.

" _All the pieces are coming together._ " She thought in her head.

Cinder soon stood up from her seat and took her leave without being noticed by any one of them.

* * *

- _ **Two Weeks Earlier**_ -

 _The very next morning, Ruby, Weiss and Destiny went back into the city to go pick up the medication. They were almost at the pharmacy when they heard Destiny's stomach let out a loud growl._

" _Ugh…" She groaned, "... I'm_ _ **SO**_ _hungry…"_

" _I did tell you that it wasn't a good idea to skip breakfast." Weiss scolded._

" _I couldn't help it…" Destiny said, "... Cristal was still asleep and I wanted to hang out with you guys today, but you were about to leave."_

 _Ruby soon thought of a solution when she noticed an ice cream booth just within just nearby. "Hey Weiss!" Ruby soon said, "Why don't I take her to that cafe over there? We can both get ice cream!"_

" _Ice cream for breakfast? Are you sure that's a good idea?"_

" _Hey, you gotta admit it's a good idea to wake up!"_

 _Weiss couldn't help but sigh in defeat from this, "Alright if you must. Just don't give her too much."_

" _I will make no such promises." Ruby said with a devious smile, before turning to Destiny, "Come on, let's go!"_

" _Kay!" Destiny said before she followed behind Ruby._

 _Shortly thereafter Ruby and Destiny got the ice cream that the small cafe provided, eating away at bowls of banana splits. Although the two of them ate too fast so they had there fair share of brain freezes. They both laughed this off however since they saw the look on each others faces. It hadn't been long before they were both stuffed, as they sat back in their seats. Patting their bellies as they were satisfied; Both girls let out a tremendous burp before they sank in their chairs._

" _Best… Breakfast… Ever…" Destiny said with her words slightly slurred._

" _Ditto…" Ruby groaned, "I don't think I'll eat for a week..."_

 _With effort Destiny soon stood up from her seat, and made her way towards the back._

" _Where are you going?" She asked._

" _Just to the restroom." The child replied._

" _Oh, alright! Whatever you do, don't fall in!"_

" _Ha, ha."_

 _Destiny went to adjust her bag, since she felt it was a little off; though the child failed to notice that a couple of pictures fell out of her open pouch. Ruby noticed the photos just as they touched the ground._

 _She let out a sigh, "Not again."_

 _She went to pick up the pictures off of the floor; one was face up while the other was faced down. She noticed that the pictures were a bit different than the one she saw previously. The picture faced up was of herself and her sister. It looked to be a christmas photo as Destiny though she was still in bed, had on a headband with antlers and a red nose that lit up a little. Cristal had on a Santa as she had been happily sucking on a candy cane and she was wrapped in a set of Christmas lights._

" _Aw… They look so happy."_

 _She looked on the back of the photo and there it was written in a somewhat sloppy handwriting, "The Best Christmas Ever". She couldn't help but laugh to herself at the thought when she played this kind of scenario in her head as to how it ended up like this. She soon looked to the one that was face down and noticed what was written though it didn't match the writing on the previous photo_

 _She was surprised to see what had been written on the back of it. "Family Fun Day" was what it had read._

 _Ruby practically jumped for joy at this when she realized what this meant. She was holding a picture of Destiny and Cristal's dad! The dad that Destiny praised ever so much! She looked at the back of the photo, as she sat back down in her seat._

" _A quick peek couldn't hurt."_

 _Right when she was about to flip the photo over, she practically slammed it down onto the table._

" _No! I can't! It's invading someone's privacy! Remember what Pyrrha said, Destiny and Cristal need to go at their own pace!"_

 _She looked to the photo again, gazing at it with a sense of curiousness in her eyes._

" _Than again… We could have an idea on who their dad is and why the he's involved with the White Fang…"_

 _She reached for the photo and prepared to flip it over, "... It's now or never Ruby."_

 _And just like that, the picture was flipped revealing the photograph. Her eyes widened in shock however, as she saw who_ _ **EXACTLY**_ _had been in the photo; standing beside Cristal and holding Destiny in his arms._

" _N-No way…" Ruby stuttered aloud, "It's…_ _ **HIM**_ … _?"_

" _You saw it?"_

 _Ruby jumped slightly when she heard a familiar voice. She turned and saw Destiny having a sad look on her face, knowing very well what Ruby had saw._

" _Destiny…" Ruby said, before she tried to explain, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to look! I was just really curious since you and Cristal didn't say-"_

 _Destiny shook her head in reply cutting Ruby off._

" _It's okay." The child said with a sad tone in her face, "It's not your fault…."_

 _Ruby handed Destiny the photo, just as she went to take her seat just across from her; the little one looked at the photo, still holding her expression. There was silence between the two, as Ruby didn't know what she should say or do._

" _Look, I…" Ruby soon said, "... I really am sorry about this…"_

" _Don't be." Destiny said softly, "... You were just curious… Dad always said that people are like that…"_

 _Finally the child looked up to Ruby, and she could swear that the child could cry. "Are… Are you mad…?" The child asked hesitantly._

 _Ruby looked confused though her expression still softened at the way the little one looked, "About what?" Ruby asked._

 _The child soon clarified, "... About, Cristal and I… Not telling you who our dad is I mean…"_

 _The child had been taken back when Ruby gave her a smile, while she shook her head. "Don't worry, you're in the clear." Ruby told her, "I mean, it's surprising but… I'm not mad at you for something like that."_

" _Really?" Destiny said still shocked, "But our dad… He's a-"_

" _I know." She said cutting her off, "I know he is but… Than I remember the things you and sister told us about him, and in a sense, he reminds me of my own dad. You guys weren't rolling in money and he was good at one thing. Honestly, I don't really blame him for doing what's considered a bad thing. If my dad was in that kind of a situation, he would've done the same thing."_

 _Destiny just sat there, slacked jawed in awe by this as she just processing this information._

" _You're…" Destiny soon said, "... Taking this remarkably well."_

 _Ruby giggled a little at the little ones reaction, "Would you have wanted me to react differently? Like I said, I'm not mad. Believe you me, I get why you and your sister would want to keep it all a secret."_

 _Destiny gasped as her eyes widened in realization._

" _Cristal!" She exclaimed, "She's gonna flip when she finds out!" She couldn't help but mess with her hair a little bit, "And what am I supposed to tell the others now?!"_

 _Ruby gave her a pat on the head as she smiled to her reassuringly, "Don't panic. We'll tell your sister that I know. Than after that, we'll tell the others together."_

 _Destiny's eyes brightened at this, "Really?"_

 _Ruby gave her a nod, and the child couldn't help but give a sigh of relief, knowing that she wouldn't be alone in this. "Hey." Ruby soon said, "Since we're on the subject… Could you tell me more about him? Before Weiss gets here?"_

 _Destiny gave a smile of her own, "Of course!"_

 _With that, the child started to share more stories about her father, both happy and sad ones before Weiss arrived to meet up with them._

* * *

- _ **Present; RWBY Dorm Room**_ -

" **YOU'LL NEVER BEAT ME OLD MAN!** "

"Ha! You're nothing but talk kid!"

" **YOU GOT THIS RUBY!** "

" **YEAH, YOU CAN DO IT!** "

After the matches were done for the day, Ruby along with her sister and Destiny went to go meet up with Qrow. Cristal decided to sit out since she wanted to spend more time with JNPR, and may or may not beat Nora in a couple of game stands. They introduced the child to him and it actually went better than they expected since Qrow seemed to have to taken an instant liking to her. Thus they returned the dorm room where him and his nieces had a lot of catching up to do.

At the moment, they were playing a fighting game, with Ruby competing against Qrow, while Destiny and Yang cheered her on. Although Ruby's health bar had been quickly depleted, while Qrow's just stayed full.

" _Soaring Ninja Wins!_ " The Game Announcer said, " _Total Annihilation!_ "

Ruby slumped over in defeat, while Qrow smiled triumphantly.

"Ouch." Yang said.

"Aw, I really thought you had him!" Destiny said slumping over like Ruby did.

Qrow chuckled, "By the way, don't be like Wren and call me old."

" **MY TURN!** " Yang suddenly shouted before she shoved her sister out of the way; the controller landing in her hand.

" _New challenger approaches._ " The Game Announcer said, before the game began.

"Alright…" Qrow soon said, "... Now where were we?"

"You just talking about the mission you were on!" Ruby reminded him.

"You just finished how you defeated a whole pack of beowolves!" Destiny soon added.

"Ah, right." Qrow said before he started to tell his tale, "I come across a small village in the swamps just west of Mistral. Right off the bat, I knew something was off."

The girls looked intrigued by this.

"What were you doing there?" Ruby asked.

"I needed information." Qrow replied, "Tired from battling Grimm along the way, I decided to begin my search at the town's inn. The inn was crawling with low-lives and thugs, even a few Huntsmen whom I can only assume had been hired than less reputable people for less than respectable jobs. And that's when it happened!"

"What?" Destiny asked shocked.

"What happened?" Yang asked as she was still focused on the game.

Qrow continued onward, "I was defeated… By the mere sight… Of the inn's keepers skirt length!"

A pillow was thrown ub gus direction; courtesy of Yang; Qrow had caught the pillow and placed it on the side, as he noticed the look on Yang's face.

"You _**ARE**_ the worst!" Yang said.

Qrow, along with Ruby and Destiny couldn't help but laugh at this.

"Best two out of three?" Qrow soon asked.

"You didn't get in trouble with Miss Winter did you?" Destiny asked, as she tilted her head a little.

"Nah, me and Oz go way back." He said to the child, "We're cool."

"Cool for an old guy." Yang joked.

"Not funny." He said.

"What brings you here anyway?" Ruby asked, "Dad said you'd be away on a mission for like… Ever."

As the game started up again, Qrow gave a reply, "Well a professional Huntsman like myself is expected to get results as soon as possible."

Ruby gave a chuckle, "Yeah, I get that. We're pretty much pros too."

"Oh are you?" He asked.

"Didn't you hear Mister Branwen?" Destiny asked, "They saved all of Vale!"

"She's right!" Yang added, "Read the news sometime why don't ya?"

"Now that's funny." Qrow said, "From what I heard Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train."

Yang ended up giving a pout when she lost another round with Qrow. "But they don't give out medals, for-Almost." He soon added.

"They do and they're called silver!" Ruby said cheerfully.

"We helped take down Roman Torchwick." Yang pointed out, "He's locked up in Ironwood's ship and crimes been down ever since, that's basically a bounty mission!"

Qrow took notice of the look Destiny gave at the mentioning of the thief's name, but decided not to make a big deal as he soon said, "Sure, you may be acting like huntresses, but you're not thinking like one. You really think four girls and their friends could end all crime in a Kingdom?"

Ruby twiddled her thumbs at this, "I mean-I did until you said that."

"Crime hasn't dropped since Roman got snatched." Qrow said, "It stopped- _ **Completely**_. No White Fang activity all across the city. You cut off the head of a King Taijitu, but now the second head is calling the shots. That's what Ironwood can't get through that thick metal head of his."

The three of them looked to one another confused by this.

"You… Know Ironwood?" Destiny asked curiously.

Qrow chuckled, "I know everyone to some extent kid. I can tell you that your talking to one of the members of the coolest team to ever graduate Beacon."

"Really?"

"It's no lie. See for yourself squirt."

Qrow rummaged through his pockets before got out a picture from his pocket. Four people were in the picture; Himself, a young man with blonde hair with blue eyes, a woman wearing a white cloak, and baring silver eyes like Ruby, and a woman with long black hair and red eyes. Destiny had found herself entranced by the photo, while Yang looked to a person in particular. Ruby couldn't help but smile at Destiny's expression.

"Wow…" Destiny said as she had been memorized.

"Yep… Team STRQ (Stark). Those were the days." Qrow said after giving a nostalgic sigh, "That's where I met their parents."

Destiny pointed to the woman with silver eyes, "Is that… Summer?" She asked curiously as she looked to Ruby.

Ruby nodded her head in reply and she could've sworn, she saw Destiny's eyes sparkle at this as she looked back to the photo.

"She's… Beautiful." Destiny said still in awe.

"You can see where she gets her looks." Qrow joked to the little one, "And, you might not believe it, but back in the day, we were pretty well known."

"Cool." The child said astonished looking to the man.

"Well known for crummy fashion sense." Ruby said.

"Hey, we looked good." He said to his niece, "And I have a number of inappropriate stories that'll back that up." He moved his eyebrows in a funny way, causing Destiny to giggle at this. Though it wasn't long before he noticed the look Yang gave. He put the photo back in his pocket snapping Yang out of her trance.

"But… I'll save those stories for when your a little older." He said.

"Eww gross." Ruby said.

"Aww man, foiled again!" Destiny said with a laugh.

Qrow stood up from the floor before making his way to the door, "Anyway, I'm too old to be hanging out with a bunch of kids. You're cramping my style." It hadn't been long before he turned back to them eyeing his nieces in particular, "Look. Just remember that you've got a long way to go. Don't think that graduating means you're done. Every single day out there is worth a week in this place. You two, you're gonna go far, but only if you keep learning. _**If you never stop moving forward**_."

Qrow soon turned to Destiny, "And one more thing squirt, you don't have to be formal with me." He said to her, "Next time we see each other, you can call me Qrow."

Destiny gave him a smile as she nodded; giving her a wink, he took his leave.

* * *

- _ **Two Weeks Earlier; Later that Day (Evening)**_ -

 _Destiny came clean to Cristal about what Ruby had discovered earlier that day, and needless to say, she was crossed by this. She was about to give her a scolding of lifetime, until Ruby explained herself, and what she thought of it all. She was surprised that Ruby took it well and even told her about her point of view on the whole thing. They were able to come to an understanding thankfully._

 _It hadn't been long before Ruby asked both teams to meet them in the library so that they could tell them together. They were gathered around the table as Destiny sat their nervously as she played with her hair; Cristal fidgeted awkwardly in her seat as she had been nervous as well. Ruby stood beside the two of them as she gave them a reassuring look._

" _Okay, what's all this about?" Yang asked._

 _Destiny and Cristal looked to each other nervous; it hadn't been long before Ruby gave them both a smile and nodded them. Finally Destiny spoke up first, "I know… Cristal and I… Haven't been completely honest with all of you. We kept this from you because… We were scared about what you all would think."_

 _The group looked to one another as they were exchanging looks._

 _Cristal gave a sigh, "Look, before we say anything… Can you just promise us one thing?"_

" _What is it?" Blake asked._

" _Promise that you won't hate us." Cristal said, before she gestured to Destiny, "Or at the very least her."_

" _Don't worry we promise." Pyrrha said to them._

" _So spill, what do you want to tell us?" Nora soon asked._

 _Destiny soon replied, "... Well… It's about… Who our dad is…"_

 _Most of the group seemed to have perked up at this. Destiny soon took out the photo that was labeled, "Family Fun Day" before she showed it to the group. Each of them gave a shocked look at who the man in the photo was._

 _Finally Blake was the first to break the silence._

" _You're father is…_ ** _Roman Torchwick_** _…?"_

 _(_ _ **Ending Theme: The Ancient Magus Bride Ending 1-Cycle Performed By Hana Itoki**_ _)_


	6. Chapter 5: The Right Candidate

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

- _ **Two Weeks Earlier; Library**_ -

 _The whole group couldn't believe their eyes and ears at the photograph before them. Roman Torchwick, was their father! Their actual father! It was unbelievable to say the least. Neither of them looked alike, well except for Destiny's green eye. Though when they looked at Cristal, she had nothing to resemble that man! Each of them looked at the photograph while the two sisters sat there awkwardly; Ruby fidgeted a little as she had been standing._

 _Yang had soon been the first to speak up._

" _Your dad…" Yang soon said, "...Roman Torchwick, is really your dad?"_

" _Yeah." Destiny said as she nodded._

" _One of the most wanted criminals? In all of Vale?" Blake soon added._

" _Yuuup." Cristal replied, "The whole shebang."_

 _Weiss looked to Ruby as she hadn't been surprised about the whole thing. "Did you know about this?"_

" _I only found out about this in the afternoon!" Ruby said, "In my defense!"_

" _How can that be?" Jaune asked, "The news never talked about Roman having a family."_

" _That's because he kept us hidden." Destiny soon explained, "He once told me, that Cristal and I were his secret, and he made sure no knew about us."_

" _He was really good at that sort of thing." Cristal said, "That is… Until she found us out."_

 _The two teams looked perplexed at this as they glanced at one another. "She?" Ruby soon asked, "I thought you two said, the White Fang that kidnapped you."_

" _We did say that." Destiny replied, "But… They only did it because that lady told them to."_

" _How do you know that?" Nora asked._

" _Because…" Destiny said hesitantly, only encouraged by Cristal, when she put her hand on her shoulder, "... Because our dad… Talked to her before we were taken…"_

 _The whole group gasped at this, as once more they were just shocked by this newfound information. "Do you… Know anything about her?"_

" _Sorry." Cristal soon said, "We can't really say. Neither of have seen her face, or even heard her name. All we heard was her voice."_

" _Her voice?" Ren said._

 _Cristal nodded her head but she stayed silent; Destiny soon took a deep breath before she started to explain._

" _The first time… We heard her, was before we were taken away. She came to our apartment, and dad told Cristal to take me to our room and stay there until she left. She did, and we stayed. Though he didn't know we were listening to their conversation."_

" _What did they talk about?" Blake asked._

" _We're not sure." Cristal soon said, "We couldn't hear it clearly. But whatever it was, it wasn't anything good. Dad told her that he wouldn't have any part of whatever it was she wanted him to be involved in. But… That's when we felt something hot."_

" _It… Felt like it was fire." Destiny soon added, "We knew it wasn't from Dust, but at the same time we knew it was impossible. There was only one person we, or rather I know that could do that, and that was Amber."_

 _Cristal flinched at that name while once again the group had been left perplexed._

" _Who's Amber?" Ruby soon asked._

" _She's a person that saved Destiny after we were separated from a bad storm." Cristal said, "And… A couple of other adversaries." She cleared her throat, "Anyway, our dad still refused with whatever she had been offering, and she wasn't too happy about it. Though something about her had been_ _ **REALLY**_ _unsettling, since she sounded unusually calm about it. Still makes me shiver down my spine whenever I think about it, and she just left without another word. Than… A week after the conversation, while dad was out of the house… The White Fang showed up; Adam Tarrus was leading them."_

 _Blake's eyes widened at the name while her teammates gave her a look of concern; team JNPR on the other hand were just shocked._

" _I did what I could to fight him, but in the end as you can tell…" Cristal soon said, "... He ended up winning. He's a lot tougher than he looks."_

" _The lady…" Destiny soon said, "...She threatened to kill us if he didn't do what she asked of him. He didn't have any other choice; so he started to steal Dust, and go forward with whatever she has planned for the kingdom."_

 _They were all at a loss at this. I mean, it had honestly been hard to believe in anyone's opinion. Someone was actually planning on taking down the kingdoms? If they had been anyone else, they would've called them crazy._

 _But was it really?_

 _Each of them wondered if it had been connected in some way. RWBY especially considering what had happened a month prior. Question kept rising to the top of their heads. Could it have something to do with the invasion by the White Fang? Or the woman that broke into the CC tower?_

 _Weiss soon asked them, "Do… Either of you at least have an idea on what she's planning?"_

" _Not a clue." Cristal replied, "We didn't exactly think about it when we were escaping."_

" _Although…" Destiny started to say, "... The only thing we know is that, she's already put her plan in motion. She's already infiltrated the school, and.._ _ **She's posing as a student**_ _."_

 _The teams were once more surprised at this._

" _So…" Blake started to say, "... You're saying whoever is control of the White Fang… Could be one of us?"_

 _The two of them nodded again, both of them staying silent as did RWBY and JNPR as they were trying to process the information. It hadn't been long before Cristal had spoken up again, "Look… If you guys are gonna hate one someone, than hate on me." She said, "Don't hate the little girl. Besides I'm the one that suggested we keep our dad a secret."_

 _This time the team mostly gave a surprised look to each other and them._

" _Why would we do that?" Pyrrha asked, "We're just grateful that you guys told us."_

 _This time the two sisters were surprised at this. "What?" Cristal said shocked._

" _None of you are mad?" Destiny asked, "Like, any of you?"_

" _We're shocked, but we're not angry." Ren replied._

" _If one of us were in your shoes we probably would've done the same thing." Jaune added._

" _In fact I can speak from experience." Blake said to the two of them._

 _While Cristal was still awestruck by this while Destiny looked over to Ruby as if she had been asking her something. Ruby smiled to the child, "I told you they wouldn't get mad."_

 _Destiny smiled back at her as she couldn't help but giggle._

 _Cristal smiled as she laughed to herself too, "... I guess you guys aren't as bad as I thought you were."_

* * *

- _ **Present**_ -

It was now in the middle of the double rounds, and the last of the contestants were going up against one another. The fight between Atlas and Beacon had just come to an end. Coincidentally, the ones fightin in the match was two members of team CRDL and their opponents had been Penny Polendina, and a girl one with the name Ciel.

Ruby had told the sisters prior about Penny; about how they met her and she was combat ready for when the Vytal Festival began. When they watched her fight, it was safe to say that Ruby wasn't lying to them. The two of them watched at how she controlled her swords and they way she moved. No words can describe it, they were just left speechless.

As Destiny watched her, she could almost swear that she had been dancing; as if she had been in a ballet. The two of them watched as they left the stage, but Destiny had soon caught Ruby getting up from her seat and going to where Penny had gone. Curious, she had decided to follow and luckily had been able to catch up. She had followed her just around the corner where they had spotted Penny.

" **PENNY!** " Ruby shouted as she had her arms up.

" **RUBY!** " Penny yelled as she turned to her.

With a leap, she hugged Ruby; though Destiny jumped when she had basically tackled her onto the ground.

"Wwwwhhhhyyyy….?" Ruby groaned.

"Are you okay?" Destiny asked Ruby a little worried.

All Ruby did was give her a thumbs up as her arm shook. Just as Penny stood up, she noticed Destiny there. "Salutations there!" Penny said as she saluted her.

"Hi there." Destiny said with a friendly smile while she looked a little nervous.

Ruby soon told her just as she brushed herself off, "Penny… This is Blake's cousin… Ow, so much pain…"

Penny's eyes brightened at this, "Why, that's wonderful! I hope you enjoy your time here!"

Destiny's expression brightened at this, as she said, "I am! It's everything I could've imagined! Congratulations on winning the fight by the way!"

"Thank you!" She said with a smile.

Penny soon turned to her companion just as Ruby finished brushing herself off. "Ruby, Destiny, this is my teammate!" She said with a smile.

"Ciel Soleil." The girl said as she bowed in greeting.

"It's nice to meet you Ciel!" Destiny said as she held her hand out to her.

"Yes, hello." Ciel said as she shook her hand.

Ruby soon waved to her, "Hello there! I'm-"

"Ruby Rose." Ciel said cutting her off, "Fifteen years of age. Hails from Patch. Leader of team RWBY. Status… _**Questionable**_."

This left Ruby and Destiny perplexed, while Penny didn't seem phased by this. To delude from the awkwardness Ruby soon spoke up, "Penny! You were incredible out there! How do you keep control of all of those swords! It's so cool and-"

"Penny." Ciel interrupted, "I believe it's best if we move on to our next location."

"Could we just have a minute to talk?" Penny asked.

Ciel looked to her watched and backed up to give them space, and gave a nod. The two girls soon turned over to Penny. "Um…" Destiny said, "... Is she a friend of yours?"

"Well in a way." Penny replied, "She's like your cousin Blake, only if she was ordered to spend time with you."

"Than Weiss?" Ruby and Destiny asked at the same time.

"Exactly." Penny answered.

"Does she know about the…" Ruby started to say, before she stopped herself as she looked to the child before them. Ruby put both of her hands over Destiny's ears leaving her confused.

"... The whole does not compute thing?" Ruby whispered so Ciel didn't hear them.

"Oh no." Penny replied, "General Ironwood doesn't want anyone to know about that. There was an incident with a magnet, but I was able to play it off."

Ruby sighed, "That's a relief." She soon removed her hands from Destiny's ears, as she couldn't help but pout. "What were guys talking about just now?"

"Ruby?" Penny soon said as she glanced over to Ciel, "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about…"

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

Penny soon gave her a smile as she whispered, "... I want to stay here at Beacon."

"Stay here?" Destiny said as she was still confused. She soon noticed that Ruby had a concerned look. "Penny, they'll never let you do that." Ruby said.

"I know…" She said, "But I have a plan!"

Ciel soon came into the conversation, "It's been precisely one minute ma'am!"

"I'll talk to you more soon Ruby!" Penny said before she turned to Destiny, "And it was nice meeting you Destiny! I hope you and I can talk again!"

Destiny smiled and nodded, "Me too Penny!"

With one final wave, Penny and Ciel took their leave, and they both waved back. "What were you two talking about when you covered my ears?" Destiny asked Ruby as she tilted her head.

Ruby flinched before she replied nervously, "Um… Well…"

Just than, they heard Oobleck's voice come over in the PA, " _Our next match will begin in 15 minutes!_ "

The two girl seemed to get excited from this, "Omigosh that's right!" Ruby exclaimed, "It's time for their match!"

"Race you back to the seats!" Destiny said to Ruby, before she ran ahead.

"Hey!" Ruby yelled, "Get back here!"

Yang and Weiss stood in the middle of the stage, waiting for their opponents. As they waited, Yang was doing warm-ups. "Welp, it's finally our turn!" Yang said.

"Just remember to keep a proper form like I told you." Weiss said.

Yang couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Alright. You're from Atlas. What can we expect?"

Weiss soon gave it some thought, "Well, considering they're from a kingdom that's an academy and armed forces all rolled into one. I think we can expect strict militant fighters with advanced technology and carefully rehearsed strategies."

 _ **WHOOSH!**_

Weiss and Yang were both startled by a sudden breeze. The one responsible appeared to be a girl with large twin tails with her bangs partly dyed in a shade of blue. She wore a spaghetti blue strap tank top revealing her stomach and dark purple bra; she also had on purple cropped shorts that was underneath a pink short skirt and belt with a winking smiley emoji. On her tank top she had on two buttons; one of them containing a cat design and the other having a green heart. Around her neck she had on a white choker and a pair of bracers on her shins and knees. She had a tattoo on her arm of what looked to be a shooting star.

She also had a cat's tail with two bands around them.

Beside her was a dark-skinned man stood beside her. Upon his head he wore a fedora and black shades over his eyes and had an earring on his right ear. Her wore a dark vest with an unbutton and untucked collared shirt. With he he had on a pair of dark gray dress pants and black shoes.

Weiss and Yang were pretty much dumbfounded by this.

"Or…" Weiss said, "... Whatever they are."

The young dark-skinned man who was named Flynt Coal got her attention. "Hey!" He said, "You're Weiss Schnee right? The Heiress?"

"I am." Weiss said with a smile.

"I take it your pretty good with Dust than?"

"I do my best!"

"Yeah! My dad was pretty good too! Owned a little Dust shop of his own… Till your father's company ran him out of his business."

Weiss's expression changed, as she looked to him with sympathy, "I'm… Sorry to hear that."

"Sure you aren't." Flynt said with sarcasm.

Yang glared at him, "Hey, why don't you-!"

" _Hey why don't you-!_ " The girl named Neon Katt mocked, "-That's what you sound like!"

Yang was just left perplexed by this. "Hey!" Neon soon said, "Where did get your extensions!?"

"... This is just my natural hair." Yang replied awkwardly.

"Oooh really~?" She said in a singsong fashion.

"Yeah, is that a pro-"

"You should try rollerblading sometime, it's _**SUPER**_ fun! It'll probably take you a while though, since, you're so… _**Top heavy**_."

Yang and Weiss's dropped at this just as the roulette began, " **EXCUSE ME!?** " Yang yelled.

The rest of the group sat on the sidelines and all of them, expect for Destiny had just been in pure shock by what Neon had suggested.

"She didn't just-" Blake started to say, her bow twitching slightly.

"Oh boy here we go." Ruby said as she rolled her eyes.

"What does she mean by top heavy?" Destiny asked looking to Cristal.

"Don't think about it." Cristal replied as she face-palmed herself.

The stage was soon set as there had now been a ruined city, a desert, a geyser field and what appeared to be a lava field.

Port soon began the countdown, just as they readied themselves, " _Three… Two… One…_ _ **BEGIN!**_ "

( _ **Music Begins: RWBY OST V3-RWBY vs. FNKI**_ )

Flynt soon played his horn and a sudden gust of wind blew upon them, causing Weiss and Yang to forcefully move back. Weiss acted fast and used her glyph to stop herself from going further, while Yang tried to her force her way through. Neon rolled with the turbulence and hit Yang towards another part of the stage, leaving only Weiss and Flynt.

Flynt played his horn again just as Weiss leaped forward, using her glyphs to help her out. He had caught her by surprise when Flynt stopped playing, causing Weiss to fall forward. He kicked her just in the back of the head causing her to fall right into the lava field. He chuckled as he moved to the field just as Weiss stood up.

On the other side of the field, Neon moved quick with the help of her rollerblades just as Yang fired towards her. All the while she fired at her, she kept saying to herself "Never Miss A Beat" As she kept dodging her, she kept on taunting her, unknowingly adding fuel to the fire of Yang's anger.

 _ **We're all born, with a dream**_

 _ **We wanna make come true**_

 _ **The best will climb to the top like me**_

 _ **The rest will end up like you**_

This pattern continued until Neon attacked Yang head on, with what appeared to nunchucks. She kept attacking her from all sides leaving a trail of rainbows in her wake; Yang tried to keep up, but had been unable to.

 _ **I bet it's hard to live with**_

 _ **Knowing that you'll never be this fine**_

 _ **Don't be distraught, don't be sad**_

 _ **You gave it your last try**_

With a growl, Yang reloaded her weapons, just as Neon prepared hers. She bend the nunchucks slightlys so that they glowed a blue color, before she charged at her once more. This time she hit her leg, though when she did, she had found ice covering it instantly.

"Ooo look!" Neon said, while smacking her behind, "Now you're bottom heavy too!"

 _ **Listen girlfriend, can't you see?**_

 _ **I'm all of the things that you'll never be**_

 _ **I'm cool like the rain and I'm hot like the sun**_

 _ **I'm a neon rainbow and you're no fun!**_

She slammed her foot on the ground and the ice broke; though she felt Neon hit her on the arm, and ice had been seen again. Neon soon gave her a good hard kick in the stomach causing her to fly towards a broken wall; it cracked upon impact. Luckily Yang regained her footing.

"You should cool off!" Neon said laughing at her own joke, "Get it? Because your angry."

Yang shot another glare as she slammed her fist onto the wall, breaking both that and the ice.

With Weiss and Flynt, she went to make her move. She summoned her glyphs shooting shards of ice over in his direction. Though Flynt used a countermeasure as he quickly used his horn, blowing fire towards the shards causing them melt instantly.

"Too bad all that money can't buy you skill." Flynt said with a smirk.

This seemed to have angered Weiss as the dial turned on her sword, switching from blue to white. As he played his horn, Weiss used her wind to attack and counter it. Quickly using it as a distraction she formed glyphs around him, and started to bounce off of them attacking him with the speed.

Flynt had finally gotten fed up and went to activate his semblance. The crowd watched as he split into four of himself, each of them wearing a different color that had not been blue just as he played the horn. Weiss found herself caught in the wind and tumbling on the ground, her weapon falling out of her hand.

"What is this?" Port said over the PA.

" _It appears that young Flynt had just activated his semblance!_ " Oobleck replied, " _And quite a remarkable one at that! Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes and Flynt Coal's…_ _**Killer Quartet!**_ "

Flipping his hat, the Flynt's went back into one as he walked over to Weiss. Neon headed back towards the center of the stage as Yang followed; her eyes now a crimson red.

"Ooo flashy eyes!" Neon said, "You know, you're actually kind of pretty when you're angry!"

"Shut up! Shut up! **SHUT UP!** " Yang shouted as she rocketed towards her.

Weiss struggled to get up, and went to get her weapon but Flynt had soon towered over her. Just as she was about to finish her off, he heard Yang yell, " **GET BACK HERE!** "

He turned over and saw Neon, circling around her, as she continued to taunt him, "I wasn't saying you should go on a diet, I was saying you _**NEED**_ to go on a diet!"

" **THAT IS IT!** " Yang yelled.

"You're fat!" Neon said, sticking her tongue out at her.

Flynt soon hatched an idea, as he glanced over to Weiss. He turned his sights over to Yang as he activated his Quirk again. Knowing what he was going to do, Weiss did the only thing she could do in that moment. She tackled Flynt and they fell into a geyser just as it went off.

"What?" Yang said with confusion.

" **WEISS!** " Ruby, Blake, Destiny and Cristal exclaimed.

" _It appears we have a double knockout folks!_ " Port said in the PA.

" _In fact it looks as though Ms. Schnee's aura has been completely depleted!_ " Oobleck announced, " _She sacrificed herself to take out Flynt! Wait a minute-What's this!?_ "

The smoke cleared and everyone was surprised to see that Flynt didn't even have a scratch on him as he stumbled a little.

" _Ladies and gentlemen! Flynt Coal remains standing!_ " Port said in the PA.

With Yang left standing Flynt and Neon walked towards her, as to team up with one another to fight against her. "You did it Flynt!" She said, "Don't worry about her, she's easy, but kind of annoying!"

Yang felt her blood boil as her body shook. In an instant her eyes went from a lilac purple to a crimson red.

" _Oooh, and looks like Yang is angry!_ " Port said, " _And you wouldn't like her when she's… Upset._ "

Yang cried out a battle cry before she went to attack her opponents; the two of them scattered. " **YO NEON!** " Flynt yelled, " **GO!** "

Neon went with a quick pace just as Flynt went to blow his horn giving Neon some help to move quicker. Yang had been caught in the current, but despite this she pushed forward with the help of her weapons. She quickly engaged Neon. As they both traded blows with each other, though she managed to fire a shot towards Flynt causing him to stumble a little; Neon went off course as she nearly tripped on herself.

Yang started to run towards Flynt, just as she leapt into the air. At that moment he started to play his horn while his semblance had been active. That didn't stop her as she rocketed herself towards him. She used both of her hands to cover up his horn which had caused it to backfire knocking Flynt out instantly.

" _Ow!_ " Oobleck said, " _Sour note for Flynt!_ "

Once Yang was done with him, she turned her attention over to Neon, who had been currently trying to evade the terrain that the stage had provided.

"Never miss a beat!" She said, "Never miss a beat! Never miss a- _ **BEAT?**_ "

Neon had been caught off guard when she tripped on a loose rock. She tumbled on the terrain eventually flying upwards to the sky thanks to another active geyser. Yang had used this an opportunity to fire at Neon, and it managed to hit her, causing an explosion in the sky, as if it had been a firework, causing the crowd to cheer loudly as the buzzer sounded off.

Yang caught her breath, being exhausted from the fight. That was until she realized-

"Weiss!" She exclaimed, her eyes changing back to a lilac purple.

Yang ran over to Weiss as her body had been covered in ash, and she was all burnt up. She slid over to her side and helped her to sit up, "Weiss, are you okay!?" Yang said with worry, "Say something! Anything!"

Weiss finally opened her eyes before she started to cough a little, "... I may not be singing for a while…"

Yang sighed with relief at this and smiled, "You know…" She soon said, "... I'm not sure that was proper form."

Weiss laughed sarcastically before she started to cough again.

" **WHAT!?** " They heard Neon shout as they noticed that her whole body was just gray, " **WE LOST!? WE LOST!? TEAM FNKI LOST!?** That was-That was-" Her color seemed to have come back as her eyes began to sparkle, "- **AMAZING!** " She soon shouted as this happened, "Oh my gosh! You guys were super crazy! We should _**DEFINITELY**_ hang out sometime! Right Flynt?"

Flynt got up as he brushed himself off. "That was gutsy move Schnee." He said to her, "... I dig it."

Yang and Weiss couldn't help but smile at this. It hadn't been long before Ruby, Blake, Destiny and Cristal ran over to them.

"Good job you two!" Blake said.

"Yeah!" Ruby added, "That was great!"

"You two really outdone yourselves! You especially Ice Queen!" Cristal said to the two of them, "I honestly thought Yang was gonna bite it, but you caught that guy by surprise when you pushed that guy!"

"... Are you… Complimenting me?" Weiss asked amused as she cough again.

Cristal chuckled, "Don't tell anyone."

"You two were so cool!" Destiny said with a smile, "I'm so glad you were able to pull through."

"Thanks Dessie." Yang said giving her a pat on the head.

Weiss soon noticed the bracelet on her wrist as it had been covered in ash. "Oh no…" She groaned, "... Your bracelet… It's all dirty now…"

Destiny smiled to Weiss as she shook her head, "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad my bracelet really worked and protected you!" Destiny couldn't help but give her a hug, and though there was a bit of pain, Weiss hugged back. The group eventually did the same as they all relished the feeling.

* * *

- _ **Two Weeks Earlier**_ -

 _About a day had passed since RWBY and JNPR had been told about Roman by both Cristal and Destiny. They still couldn't believe that he had been the father of the two of them. They were pretty much the opposites of Roman; okay maybe not so much Cristal, but Destiny had been sweet while Roman on the other hand was just not the thing Destiny was. They still couldn't picture Roman as some sort of a father figure to them._

 _Than again it's as the saying goes, never judge a book by it's cover._

 _Today, it was just Destiny along with Pyrrha. RWBY and the rest of JNPR needed help out setting up the fairgrounds, and Cristal even decided to help them out. Pyrrha had decided to show Destiny around Beacon, as she and her walked through the courtyard of the academy, looking at all the various stands that was being put together for the festivities. Though eventually they decided to take a break as they laid back in the bed of grass; watching the clouds go by in the sky._

" _That one looks like a sheep!" Destiny said as she pointed to the sky, "And that one next to it is a bunny!" She turned over to Pyrrha, "What do you see Pyra?"_

 _Pyrrha gave it some thought before she pointed to the sky as she replied, "I see a Huntsman… Tap dancing through a meadow."_

" _What!?" Destiny exclaimed, "Where do you see that?"_

 _Pyrrha replied as she pointed to the sky, " Right there."_

 _Destiny squinted to see better; it wasn't long before she let out a giggle, "That Huntsman looks really funny!"_

 _Pyrrha smiled warmly as she laughed along with her. "Thanks for doing this Pyra." Destiny said to her, "This is the most fun I've had in a long time. I just wish Cristal came with us today."_

" _Don't worry, we'll bring her along with us next time." Pyrrha reassured her, "And I'm glad you're having fun."_

 _Destiny still held her smile as she looked back to the sky; watching as the clouds drifted, each one having a unique shape. Destiny had a thought in her head as her expression changed slightly to what looked to be a sad look in her eye. Pyrrha didn't really notice at first until-_

" _Hey… Pyra?"_

" _Hmm?" She said as she looked to the child._

" _Is it… Alright if I ask you something?" Destiny asked as her gaze was still to the sky._

" _Sure, what is it?" Pyrrha said._

" _... Do you… Believe in things… Like destiny? I'm not talking about myself, but well… Generally speaking."_

" _What do you mean?"_

 _Destiny soon sat up, looking to the floor; she gripped the bag that contained her medicine. "It's just…" Destiny started to say nervously, "... Well… How do I put this…?" She placed a hand over her eyepatch._

" _There was…" Destiny began to say, "... Another reason, why dad kept me and Cristal hidden. She and I-Or rather… I have something that… Others might not find accepting. Sometimes I wonder… If something different were to happen. Like, what would happen if I was given a choice? If I had the ability to change for the better and everyone else…"_

 _Pyrrha soon sat up, "Destiny? Where is this coming from?"_

 _The child soon replied, keeping her gaze away from her, "What if I said… The lady that took us… Wanted to use me for something other than to threaten my dad. Like if it had something to do with my secret? What if… I was capable of hurting people?"_

 _Pyrrha looked to her filled with worry; though at the moment she said nothing as she listened to what more the child had to say._

" _That lady…" Destiny said, "... The one I mentioned… She would often come by. One day… She told me she knew about our secret. She told me my secret was interesting, and that it intrigued her. She told me… I was meant to play a part with her plan. Now… Whenever I think about it, I just see the people that'll get hurt. The fear in their eyes, and the lives that'll be ruined. Now sometimes… I wish I could just change it, so that I would never have had this awful secret to begin with."_

 _Destiny had been taken by surprise when Pyrrha had pulled her into a hug, as to comfort her. "Don't take what she had said to heart." Pyrrha said as she began to massage her back, "Whatever your secret is, whatever your sister's secret is, I know… And everyone else know who you really are. You're the most kindest and sweetest girl we've come to known. Your sister is strong yet compassionate, and most importantly, she's your best friend. You two couldn't be what the lady said you were. Don't let others tell you otherwise."_

 _Destiny couldn't help but smile at her words before she hugged her back, as she took comfort in her embrace._

* * *

 _-_ _ **Present**_ -

Cinder, Emerald and Mercury had been sitting their dorm room for most of the day. Emerald had been looking through her scroll, mainly searching the web, while Mercury had been doing push ups. Cinder on the other hand had been going through the Atlas database on her own scroll, going through the information that had been on it.

One passage in particular caught her eye as her two companions took notice.

"What is it?" Emerald asked her.

What she had been looking through was a set of schematics to a synthetic being; one by the name of Penny. She skimmed through the information provided.

"Oh nothing." She eventually replied, "We're going to make a slight… _**Alteration**_ to the plan."

The two of them exchanged looks.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mercury asked.

Cinder simply said all with a smile, "It means… This will be much more easier than we thought.

* * *

- _ **Headmasters Office**_ -

Ozpin sat at his desk, with his gaze towards the window as he had pondered a certain thought. It hadn't been long before someone familiar entered the room; This familiar someone being Qrow.

"You know…" Qrow said, "... Ironwood is just making a fool out of you."

"His heart is in the right place." Ozpin replied, "He's just… Misguided."

"Sometimes I'm not sure he has a heart."

Qrow soon took a sip from his flask, as he soon asked, "So… _**Have you chosen your guardian?**_ "

"Maidens choose themselves." Ozpin replied, turning to him, "I simply believe I found the right candidate. Ever since I met her, I had a feeling she would be the one. She's strong, intelligent, and more importantly… _**She's ready**_."

From the outside, Pyrrha looked a bit nervous, as she didn't know what he had wanted to talk to her about. She took a deep breath as and just as she was about to step inside, something peculiar had got her eye, at the steps.

It looked to be that of a flower, that growed from the stone, which she found quite odd. The flower looked to be that of a tulip, with black and white petals. Though the flower was strange, she looked to be in a trance.

"What a beautiful looking flower…."

She reached to pick it up; when her fingers had touched the steam, she pulled back slightly from a sudden pain. She looked to her finger seeing a trickle of blood, though she found it perplexing since there appeared to be no thorns on the tulip. Still she felt compelled to pick it up from where it sat.

What she failed to notice however, was that on one of the petals… There had been a faint red glow, in the shape of an eye.

( _ **Ending Theme: The Ancient Magus Bride Ending 1-Cycle Performed By Hana Itoki**_ )


	7. Chapter 6: A Favorite Fairytale

- _ **A Few Days Earlier**_ -

" _ **UNCLE QROW!**_ " _She yelled as she hung like a monkey when he lifted her up, "Hi!" She couldn't help but kick her legs a little, "It's so good to see you! Didja miss me!? Didja miss me?!"_

" _Nope." Qrow replied with a smirk._

 _He gave a pat on Ruby's head which she couldn't help but enjoy, though-_

" _Qrow." Ozpin soon said, getting his attention, not taking note of the fact that his niece slipped off, "A word, please."_

 _Ruby had been able to recover quick after but a few seconds; just as she did, Qrow leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I think I'm in trouble."_

" _You did kind of tear up the courtyard." Ruby said with an amused expression._

 _Qrow made the same expression, "Yeah, I did." He gave her his fist and in turn she gave him hers, "Catch you later kiddo."_

 _Before Qrow went to join up with Ozpin he noticed Destiny just behind Weiss, and Destiny seemed to have noticed him looking at her. She shrunk a little at his gaze. Though Qrow simply gave her a smile as he gave her a wink which honestly surprised the child as she watched him join up with Ozpin and Glynda._

 _They soon found themselves back in the Headmasters Office as Winter had been pacing angrily while Ironwood waited for them. As luck would have it, Ozpin, Glynda arrived along with Qrow._

" _ **WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?**_ " _Winter yelled._

" _If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!" Ironwood said, just as angry as Winter was._

" _If I was one of_ _ **YOUR**_ _men I would've shot myself." Qrow stated as he got his flask out._

" _Well I wouldn't condone for his behavior." Glynda said to Winter, "Retaliating like you did, certainly didn't help with the situation."_

" _He_ _ **WAS**_ _drunk!"_

" _He's_ _ **ALWAYS**_ _drunk!"_

 _They all looked to Qrow who was practically gulping down what had been in his flask, but stopped when they turned to him. All he did was shrug before he put his flask away._

 _Ozpin sighed, "Qrow… Why are you here?"_

" _You've been out of contact for weeks!" Ironwood stated, "You can't just go dark like that in the field!"_

" _I'm not one your special operatives Jimmy." Qrow said._

" _General." Winter corrected._

" _Whatever." He said, "You sent me to get intel on our enemy. And I'm telling you…_ _ **Our enemy is here**_ _."_

 _Silence overcame the small group._

" _...We know." Ironwood had eventually replied._

" _Oh!" Qrow said sarcastically, "You know!? Well thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!"_

" _Qrow!"_

" _Communications a two way street pal!" He pulled out his scroll from his pocket, to emphasize his point, "You see this?! That's the-_ _ **SEND BUTTON**_ _."_

" _They had reason to believe you had been compromised." Winter said._

 _Qrow looked in her direction, giving her a glare, "And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here! Seriously? Who invited her?"_

 _Ironwood soon turned to Winter, "Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back on my warship."_

 _Winter gasped, "But sir-!"_

" _Winter._ _ **LEAVE**_ _."_

 _She flinched at his tone, but had immediately complied, "Yes sir." She said as she saluted, before she went to take her leave without saying another word. The moment the elevator doors closed they looked back to Qrow._

" _Go on." Ironwood said._

" _Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn." Qrow soon explained, "... They're the ones responsible for_ _ **Amber's**_ _condition."_

" _What!?" Glynda exclaimed out of shock._

 _Qrow took a sip from his flask before he continued on, "Despite what the world thinks… We're not just some teachers or Headmasters, or Generals. The people standing here in this room, and the other leaders of the other academies, WE'RE the ones keeping the world safe from the evil no one even knows about! It's why_ _ **WE**_ _meet behind locked doors, why_ _ **WE**_ _work in the shadows."_

 _Qrow soon turned over to Ironwood as he gave him a look, "So you tell me James-When you bought your army here to Vale, did you think you were being discreet, or did you not just give a damn!?"_

 _Ironwood stood calmly as Qrow gave him a look that could kill. "Discreet wasn't working." He soon replied, before he put his scroll on the desk. In a few short moments there was a holographic image of Beacon as well as the Atlas military._

" _I'm here because_ _**THIS**_ _is what is necessary." Ironwood soon stated._

" _No,_ _ **YOU'RE**_ _here because Ozpin wanted you here!" Qrow corrected, "He made you a part of this little group and opened your eyes to the battle that's right in front of us!"_

" _And I'm grateful for it."_

" _Really? You gotta a funny way of showing it."_

" _The citizens of Vale need someone to protect them; someone who would act. When they look to the skies and see my fleet, they'll feel safe and our enemies will feel our strength."_

 _Qrow started to laugh, "You think they're scared of your little ships!? I've been out there and I've seen the things_ _ **she's**_ _made, and let me tell you…_ _ **They are fear**_ _."_

" _And fear will bring the Grimm." Ozpin soon added, "A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's energy in the air now. A question lingers in the back of everyone minds. If this is size of our defenses… What is we're expecting to fight?"_

 _Ironwood had eventually sighed in defeat as he went to pick up the scroll that was on the table. Though he failed to notice a pawn icon appear in the middle of his screen just as he picked it up._

" _What do you suggest we do than?" Ironwood asked the Headmaster._

 _Ozpin soon gave his answer, "... I suggest we find our_ _ **Guardian**_ _."_

* * *

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

 _-_ _ **Present**_ _-_

Pyrrha had arrived in the headmasters office right on schedule. She was sitting in one of the seats provided just across from Ozpin as she still had the black and white tulip in her hand.

"Well, it comes as no surprise that they've chosen you to proceed to the singles round in the tournament." Ozpin said, "Your performance is exemplary."

"Thank you Ozpin." Pyrrha said with a smile, "I wouldn't have made it as far as I did without my teammates."

"Personally I think it's the other way around." Qrow soon said as he had been looking at his own scroll; specifically the messages box.

Pyrrha turned to him as she placed the flower in her hair, "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've been properly introduced."

"Names Qrow." He replied turning to her.

"Qrow is a trusted colleague of mine." Ozpin briefly explained.

"Professor Ozpin?" Pyrrha soon said, "If you don't mind me asking… Why did you call me here?"

Ozpin motioned her to take a seat, to which she did without question, though she had been a little hesitant. "What is your favorite fairy tale?" He soon asked.

"I beg your pardon?" Pyrrha said confused.

"Fairy Tales." He clarified, "Stories from your childhood. Surely you must have some."

Though she was still confused, Pyrrha had given her answer, "There's _The Tale of Two Brothers, The Shallow Sea, The Girl in the Tower_ -"

"What about the _**Story of the Seasons**_?" Ozpin soon asked.

Pyrrha's expression seemed to have brightened, "Oh of course! A callous old man who refuses to leave his home is visited by four traveling sisters. The first of the sisters understands his reclusive nature and urges him to use his time in solitude and meditate. The second brings him fruits and flowers and tends to his crops in the garden. The third warms and convinces him to step outside and embrace the world around him. And the fourth and final sister, begs him to look at all he has and to be thankful. In return for their kindness, the man grants the maidens incredible powers so that they may continue to help others around the world. They graciously accepted their gifts and promised to share their gifts with the world of Remnant until the end of days. The four maidens… _**Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall**_."

Pyrrha soon gave a smile, "My mother also loves that story."

"Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy?" Ozpin asked her.

"You're not that old Professor." She said with a laugh.

"Well…" Ozpin said, "... _ **Would you believe me if I told you that it was true?**_ "

This time, Pyrrha had been left stunned, as she didn't know how to take it.

"I…" She said, "... I'm sorry…?"

Ozpin soon said again, "What if I were to tell you, that they're four maidens existing in this world? That they wield tremendous power, without the use of Dust?'

"You mean… Like a semblance?"

"More like magic."

Despite her back being turned to Qrow, he could tell what her reaction had been. "Yeah." He soon said, putting his scroll away, "It's pretty crazy to hear at first."

In her head, Pyrrha had been trying her best to process the information, they Ozpin cold tell from her expression that she had been struggling to come to grips with it. "Are…" She said looking up to him, "... Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Ozpin asked.

Pyrrha saw the look in his eye, and any doubt she had about his words were practically gone. "No sir." She replied, "But if I may ask… Why are you telling me this?"

There was silence in the room; Ozpin and Qrow had exchanged a glance, before Qrow gave a nod. Ozpin soon spoke up again, "The reason we're telling you this Pyrrha Nikos… Is because we have reason to believe that you are next in line to receive the Fall Maidens powers."

Once more Pyrrha had been taken back, "Did you say we?"

At that very moment, the elevator doors opened, and their she saw familiar faces. Glynda Goodwitch, and James Ironwood.

"Sorry we're late." Ironwood said while fixing his tie.

At this point, Pyrrha felt fear, as she stood up from her seat. "Wa-wait!" She stammered, "What is this!? Who are you!?"

"You know who we are." Glynda said calmly, "We're still the same Headmasters and teachers you met when you first arrived at Beacon."

"Except we got a little part-time job." Qrow added.

"We are the protectors of this world." Ironwood stated.

"And… We need your help." Ozpin finished.

The very next thing Pyrrha knew, she found herself in the elevator along with Ozpin, Qrow, Glynda and Ironwood, descending to the lower levels of the very building they were in. Lower levels that Pyrrha didn't even know had existed. She rubbed her elbow as she had been anxious about this whole thing.

"Um…" Pyrrha soon spoke up, "... Where are we going?"

"The vault beneath the school." Ozpin replied.

"...A vault?" She said questiongly.

Finally they had reached the floor, and Ozpin, Glynda, Qrow and Ironwood stepped onto the floor. Pyrrha stood there a bit hesitant, as she didn't whether to follow them or not. It hadn't been long before she felt someone staring just over her shoulder; eyes glowing dimly in the light. She turned around fast, but saw no one had been there.

Why was she expecting anyone in the first place? They were the only ones in the elevator.

With a sigh she soon followed them, taking all that surrounded her. The hall they walked down was large, most if it covered in shadow, and only lit by the candles that had been provided. She kept up her pace but noticed a couple of pathways within the floor they were on. Where did they lead to, she wondered.

"I'm sure you must have a lot of questions." She soon heard Glynda say.

"Maybe one or two." Pyrrha replied fixing the flower a bit, "I'm afraid I don't understand. You said I was next in line to receive the maiden's powers. What did you mean by that?"

Glynda soon began to explain, "The maidens have existed for thousands of years. Though very much like nature the seasons change. They're no two summers alike. When a maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring that the seasons are never lost and that no individual can hold onto that power forever."

"If a person can't hold onto it forever… Than how does the power itself choose?" Pyrrha asked.

"Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules." Qrow replied.

"Qrow!" Glynda said angrily.

"Don't get mad at me because I'm right!" He said as he slouched.

Glynda soon continued on, "At first, the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed on to young women. But as time went on, the selection became more intimate."

"Intimate?" Pyrrha asked.

"From what we understand…" Glynda began to reply, "... When a maiden dies, the one who is in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her powers."

"Unless it's a dude or some old hag, or even if the power decides to split on it's own." Qrow soon added, "Then the powers go to someone random, and it makes our job a whole lot harder."

"On its own?" Pyrrha repeated, "I don't understand, why tell me all of this now? Why not wait until I've graduated?"

"Honestly we've run out of time." Qrow soon replied, "I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a scarier out in the world. The tensions are high. Grimm are growing more and more stronger and powerful and not to mention prevalent. It's not gonna be much longer before this peace we've all been enjoying so much goes right out the window."

"You're… Not talking about a war are you?" She asked.

"Not a war between nations." Ironwood said.

"We can fill you in on the details once we know you're with us." Qrow said, "The only thing you need to know right now is that one of the maidens was attacked. And for the first time in history… _**Part of her powers was stolen**_."

"Stolen?" Pyrrha said, "But before you said-"

"I know." Qrow said cutting her off, "But like I said… We'll fill you in later."

They soon approached what looked to be a machine, connected to two capsules. One was empty, but the other contained a person; A young woman to be exact. She possessed a light brown complexion and had short brown hair. Under her eye she had a beauty mark, though all across her face she appeared to have a scar. She wore a tube top and a skirt; she looked to be in a comatose state.

"Is…" Pyrrha started to say, "... Is that…?"

Ozpin sighed, "... That's the current Fall Maiden… _**Amber**_."

Pyrrha gasped at the name knowing she had heard it before.

" _ **We couldn't hear it clearly. But whatever it was, it wasn't anything good. Dad told her that he wouldn't have any part of whatever she wanted him to be involved in. But… That was when we felt something hot."**_

" _ **It felt like… It was fire. We knew it wasn't from Dust, but at the same time we knew it was impossible. There was only one person we, or rather I know that could do that, and that was Amber."**_

" _Could it be…_ " Pyrrha thought, " _The lady in control of the White Fang, that Destiny and Cristal mentioned… Was the same one that did this…?_ "

Pyrrha soon spoke, "She's… Alive? Isn't she?"

"For now." Ironwood replied, "We're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable. However there is a lot to this situation which is unprecedented."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Ironwood let out a sigh, "Well we don't know what will happen if… Or when she passes."

"Won't her powers just transfer to the next host?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well look who's been listening!" Qrow said with a bit of sarcasm, leaning towards Ozpin, "She's smart."

"Under normal circumstances yes." Ironwood soon said, "Though with all things considered, this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be that of their attacker. To make matters worse, no one has seen the power split like this. For all we know… It will seek out it's other half."

Pyrrha had soon put two and two together as she realized what he had been saying, "... _**Her assailant.**_ "

"And that would not bode well for any of us." Ozpin added.

Pyrrha gave a look of solemn to Amber as she stepped towards her. She placed her hand on the glass. " _Destiny…_ " She thought, " _... She met one of the maidens from the story…_ _ **And she doesn't even know it…**_ "

That was when a certain thought came to her.

"If all of this is true, why keep it all a secret!?" Pyrrha said turning to them, "If this girl is so important… If we're truly on the brink of war, why not tell anyone!?"

Glynda soon stepped forward, "From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge."

Pyrrha looked to her confused, "Excuse me?"

"How do you think the legends and fairytales got started?" Qrow asked, "Even the craziest ones have to have come from somewhere."

"Our groups was founded to protect mankind and the Maidens." Glynda soon added, "Those that were hungry for power hunted them with the hope of inheriting their strength."

"And as you can imagine, the ones that succeeded weren't exactly the kind of people you would want to have unimaginable power." Qrow finished.

"And so the brotherhood decided to remove the Maidens from the public eye." Ironwood soon explained, "Allowing their existence to fade into legend."

"The things that we're telling you right now go against hundreds of years of human history and religion." Glynda said, "If we ever told anyone else, no one would believe us."

"It would because nothing but worldwide panic." Ozpin stated, "And we all know what that would bring clawing at our kingdom walls. Which is why we would like to-"

"I'll do it."

Ozpin looked to Pyrrha, surprised to hear this kind of an answer from her as her eyes changed. "If you believe this will help humanity." Pyrrha said, "Than _**I**_ will become your _**Fall Maiden**_."

The four of them looked to each other as they had a look of worry, which Pyrrha couldn't help but find perplexing/

"That's… What you want…" She said, "... Isn't it?"

"It is." Ozpin said, "But I'm afraid it's not that simple. Given Amber's condition, you won't be able to inherit her power naturally. However General Ironwood, believes that he has a solution."

Ironwood started to explain once more, "Over the past few years, Atlas has been studying Aura from a more scientific standpoint. How it works, what's made of, and how it can be used. We've made significant strides and we believe we have found a way to capture it."

"Capture it, and cram it into something else." Qrow clarified, "Or… In your case…"

Pyrrha didn't quite understand his words, but after a moment or two, she quickly got his meaning. She turned to Ironwood.

"That's-"

"Classified."

"-Wrong!"

"The feeling is mutual." Glynda said, "However desperate times call for desperate measures."

"And these are indeed desperate measures." Ironwood said, "We can't give you Amber's powers to you but we can give you what those powers are bound to."

"Her Aura." Pyrrha concluded.

"Her life, will become intertwined with yours." Ozpin said, "The question is…"

" _ **What's that gonna do to you?**_ " Qrow finished.

Pyrrha's expression soon changed to a look of fear. None of them seemed to notice that one of the petals in Pyrrha's hair glowed a dimly, before it had vanished.

"You have an important decision to make Miss Nikos." Ozpin said, "There's no guarantee that the transfer will work, and there's no telling if you will be the same person if it does. I advise you to take time to think about this matter. But understand… Before the Vytal Festival is over… We will need your answer."

Pyrrha turned back to Amber her eyes softening once again.

"The assailant that attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move." Ozpin said, "And there's no telling when their next move will be." With that, one by one they started to take their leave. Pyrrha still stood before Amber having conflicted thoughts about the whole thing entirely as she looked to the floor.

"What am I going to do…?"

Just as she picked up her head, she saw a reflection that looked exactly like her, though at the same time… _**It didn't**_. She couldn't tell the appearance, all she saw that the eyes had glowed a dim red and orange color.

She let out a gasp as she practically jumped back. Though when she blinked she saw her own face instead of those strange red eyes.

( _ **Ending Theme: The Ancient Magus Bride Ending 1-Cycle Performed By Hana Itoki**_ )


	8. Chapter 7: The Fall Begins

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

" _And now the moment you've all been waiting for! The one on one finals!_ "

Today was the day of the singles rounds. Everyone had been more excited than ever before. Today the winner of one of the academies will walk away as the victor. Everyone had been pumped and they couldn't wait for the fights to take place. They all cheered and clapped for the contestants that stood on the stage wishing all of them the best of luck.

A total of eight people stood in the middle. Five of them being Yang, Sun, Penny, Mercury and Pyrrha.

" _Barty? Why don't you explain the rules?_ " Professor Port asked.

" _Ah it's quite simple Peter!_ " Oobleck said, " _Instead of a bracket system, each round of the finals will randomly be determined immediately before the match takes place!_ "

" _Much like a good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare!_ "

" _Now with that being said, let's see who the first match will be!_ "

Team RWBY members Ruby, Blake and Weiss were sitting in their usual seats, next to Team JNPR members Jaune, Nora and Ren. There were just two people missing however; that would be the sisters, Destiny and Cristal.

"Hmm…" Ruby said worried, "... I wonder where they could be."

"Cristal did text us that Destiny had to use the restroom." Weiss said, "I assume the lines are pretty long."

"Still… They're taking a long time." Blake said, "I wonder what's keeping them."

"They had better get here soon!" Nora said, "They're about to announce the first matchup!"

She had spoken too soon when they saw that the randomization process had already begun. They watched up on the screen as it began to slow down. The first two people up was Mercury Black and Yang Xiao Long.

" _The first match of the day will be Yang Xiao Long of Beacon vs Mercury Black of Haven!_ " Port said, " _Would all other contestants please leave the stage?_ "

The other contestants did just that and Pyrrha went to go join up with the rest of her friends. She noticed a couple of people missing. "Where's Destiny and Cristal?" Pyrrha asked, "I thought that they were with you."

"Cristal told us she had to take Destiny to the restroom." Ren replied.

"Maybe it was something she ate." Jaune added, "Her message sounded urgent."

Blake soon stood up from her seat, "Maybe I should go get them."

"No wait." Pyrrha said stopping her, "I'll go get them. I think Yang would want all of her teammates to see her fight." Before anyone could stop her, she went to take her leave. The stage began to set itself up for the fight between Yang and Mercury. Instead of it being of it being split up, it had just lifted the two of them up off the ground so that everyone could see the fight that would take place.

Yang smiled to Mercury, "You better not go easy on me."

Mercury chuckled, "You wish."

Both of them took their stance and approached each other, slowly to the point where their hands almost touched each other.

Port started to countdown, " _Three… Two… One…_ _ **FIGHT!**_ "

Thus the fight began.

Yang threw a punch while Mercury kicked, both of the shots echoed throughout the arena causing Mercury to fly back. He charged and tried to kick at her, though Yang had been quick to dodge him. When he started to throw punches she began to block and counter his attacks. Right when he was about to hit her though Yang quickly fired just near his feet, making him hover. He kicked towards her head though she blocked him again. His foot landed on the ground and floor smashed into a crater. Once again he started to send kicks towards her, while she countered over and over.

They continued this pattern, until finally Yang pushed him back nearly falling off the stage, were it not for the gun on his heels. He threw his kicks at her, though she still had been able to defend. After rolling over on her back he had gotten a hit, pushing her back a good distance. He fired projectiles at her, causing her to either dodge or shoot them out of the air. Mercury used this to his advantage as he charged. He kicked just underneath Yang's chin, as he had sent her flying into the air, before making himself hoover, delivering another attack.

Yang hit the ground hard, causing the ground to break a little. Mercury acted fast and quickly made more projectiles circle around her. With a simple movement from his leg, all the projectiles were sent flying towards Yang, hitting her all at once, creating a dust cloud. Some of the crowd cheered while most of them booed at Mercury just as he landed on the ground safely, brushing off some dirt that had landed on his shoulder. He proceeded to make his way off the stage as to claim his victory.

 _ **BOOM!**_

Mercury stopped and turned to the source of the sound. He saw Yang with her eyes a crimson red and her hair lit up like the sun. She charged at him, giving him no time to guard. She started to throw punches at him, putting all her strength into each attack. At one point he tried to attack back though it turned out to be a mistake. She started to punch him across the face and chest, repeating this pattern, until she hit him in the stomach making him land on his back. With his Aura finally broken, the buzzer sounded off, indicating that the match had been over and done with.

" _What a way to kick off the finals!_ " Port said over the speakers.

Yang caught her breath before she raised her fist in the air, making the crowd cheer loudly. The stage soon lowered itself as the crowd continued. RWBY and JNPR especially cheered loudly at her win.

" **YEAH!** " Ruby exclaimed gleefully, " **YOU DID IT SIS!** "

"Aw man!" Nora couldn't help but complain, "They missed the whole fight!"

"I wonder where they could be?" Jaune wondered aloud as he looked to where Pyrrha had gone earlier.

On the stage Yang stretched her arms, cracking her shoulder a little as she looked to Mercury. "You put up a good fight." She said, "Though as they say, better luck next time!" She started to make her way off the stage, however…

" _ **There's not going to be a next time blondie.**_ "

Yang turned around and saw Mercury charging at her, going to kick her. In the moment instinct seemed to have kicked into her head as she armed herself.

* * *

- _ **Earlier**_ -

Pyrrha had made her way towards the restrooms just as the match started to begin between Yang and Mercury. She saw that there had been a line for the ladies restroom, but saw the two sisters were nowhere to be seen. She asked the people she passed by if they had seen them anywhere, though the answers had all been the same. At that point wondered where they could be and couldn't help but worry a little when she still couldn't find them. She knew that they were somewhere, they came with them to the stadium. Just as she was about to make her way back, she found something quite odd on the floor. A door that had been labeled staff, had been slightly open; the knob looked to be broken as she had examined it.

"What in the world?"

Pyrrha didn't know, but she felt compelled to go inside; and so she did. The staff area had been large hallway, leading into more rooms that the coliseum had provided. She felt the atmosphere around her change, as she stepped further down into the dimly lit hall.

"Hello? Is anywhere here?"

Just than she heard the sound of a bang that had been muffled in her ears. She jumped when she saw Cristal toppling out of one of the rooms, hitting the wall just behind her.

"Cristal!" Pyrrha exclaimed running towards her, "Are you alright!?"

"Pyrrha?" Cristal said as she groaned, picking herself up off the floor, "What are you doing here?"

"The others were worried when you and Destiny didn't show up, so I came looking for you." Pyrrha had replied as she helped Cristal to stand. As she did this she noticed that Cristal had a bruise on her arm and cheek. "What happened to you?"

"That's-" Cristal started to say, before her eyes widened, from within the room, " **-LOOK OUT!** "

Cristal immediately pushed Pyrrha out of the way; as she did Pyrrha had caught a glimpse of what looked to be a black sphere covered in purple flames, hitting the wall just behind them blackening a part of it. As Pyrrha and Cristal recovered, a familiar person stepped out of the room.

It was Destiny.

Though Pyrrha could clearly see the child look different. Underneath the eyepatch there looked to be a purple light; her left hand appeared to have purple mist around it. The look in her eye was cold an dead as it had been nothing more than a bottomless pit; almost as if her eye was gone. She thought she had been seeing sees, she could've sworn she saw a small horn, on the right side of her forehead, while the left, had a small insignia of what looked to be a butterflies wing.

"... Destiny…?" Pyrrha said, surprised to see her in such a state.

"It hurts…" She heard the child say with a whisper, "...It hurts… The pain… Won't stop…"

Pyrrha looked to her confused but soon noticed blood had been dripping from her index finger on her right. The child turned to them; her head had been moving as if she was a wooden puppet. "The pain… Won't stop…" She continued on. She lifted her hand to the both of them, and Pyrrha saw in the palm of her hand a dark sphere began to form, taking the two of them back.

"Kill…"

The sphere grew larger in her hand.

"Kill…"

Purple flames soon appeared around it, making the two gasp.

" _ **Kill them all…**_ "

"Destiny what are-?" Pyrrha started to say, as she reached out to her.

 _ **BANG!**_

The three of them were drawn to the sound of a gunfire just from within the stadium. This even drew the child's attention as she heard the people from within the stadium scream. Cristal on the other hand saw this as an opportunity. Acting fast she tackled the child to the ground, pinning her wrist allowing the sphere to disappear. Destiny went to bite her shoulder, but had been quick to move out of the way as she pinned her on her front; Destiny began to struggle.

"Cristal stop!" Pyrrha told her, "You're hurting her!"

Cristal seemed to have ignored her as she had been struggling to hold Destiny still, "Pyrrha listen to me! This ain't the same Destiny you know right now! If she comes in contact with others than all hell will break loose! You need to go and find something to tie her up with!"

Pyrrha looked to Cristal before she looked to the child as she struggled beneath her. She heard Destiny let out a series of growls trying to break free. Her eyes locked onto hers for a moment and though her eye looked to be of a black abyss she could see that the child…

 _ **Looked to be scared**_.

"Didn't you hear me!?" Cristal said to her, "Don't just stand there! Hurry!"

Clenching her fist, Pyrrha stepped towards them; she had practically shoved Cristal off of her and quickly took Destiny into her arms, giving her a hug despite her bag getting in the way.

"Pyrrha?" Cristal said concerned. Destiny's teeth launched onto Pyrrha's shoulder aggressively drawing a small amount of blood, causing Cristal to jump at this; Pyrrha bit the bottom of her lip to prevent herself from crying out in agony.

"There now, little one…" Pyrrha soon said softly as she stroked the back of her head, brushing her fingers through the child's hair; she kept a gentle yet firm hold as Destiny struggled to get free, "... It's alright now… They're no monsters here… They can't hurt you… You don't have to be afraid… You're safe…"

Destiny growled but her movements seemed to have slowed down. Tears began to roll down her cheeks, as she began to whimper. Pyrrha shushed her gently as she tightened her hold slightly, "It's okay… Everything's gonna be okay… You're not alone… You never are…"

And just like that, Cristal saw the mist around her hand disappear, along with the purple light. The horn seemed to have evaporated, and the insignia of the wing, as her body had gone limp in Pyrrha's arms as she began to breathe softly against her shoulder. Cristal looked surprised at what she had just witnessed. Normally anyone in any given situation would be afraid and run the other way; though Pyrrha, she had no hesitation to stop Destiny. Despite her getting hurt she didn't even think about running the other way.

She truly is amazing, is what Cristal thought in her head.

Cristal soon placed a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, getting her attention. "Come on." She said to her, "Let's go before someone finds us."

Pyrrha nodded her head; holding onto Destiny, they made their way out of the staff area and towards where the ships had been.

* * *

The crowd all had mixed reactions by what they had just witnessed. Mercury was on the ground holding onto his leg as he looked to be in pain.

" **MY LEG!** " He shouted, " **MY LEG!** "

Yang glared at him, "That's what you get you little-Huh?"

Before Yang knew, she found herself surrounded by Atlas soldiers; guns pointed directly at her, armed and ready to fire at any given moment.

"Yang Xiao Long, stand down!" One of them said.

Yang had been hesitant, but did what she was told as she was more scared than she was confused by what was going on. "Wha-what's going on?" She stammered, though none of them had didn't answer her question. Emerald soon came onto the stage, running to her comrade as she had been worried about him.

"Mercury!" She said, "Are you okay!?'

"She attacked me!" Mercury said as he sounded scared and had been in pain, "Why on Earth would she attack me!?"

Yang had been more confused than ever, as she was trying to put together what was going on. Though she soon got her answer when she looked to the screens above as the crowd became more and more distraught. Her eyes widened in horror by what she was seeing. Though she witnessed Mercury attack her…

She saw him defenseless as she had attacked him.

* * *

- _ **One Week Earlier**_ -

 _Today team RWBY and JNPR, along with Destiny, Cristal and Zwei had gone to the Forever Fall forest to get some red sap from the trees. The reason being that Ren was going to make his signature pancakes and he needed the sap to make the syrup. Ruby stood tall in front of the group as the red leaves fell around them._

" _Alright everybody!" She said to the group, "Thanks to Professor Goodwitch permission we're going to be collecting some more of that delicious red sap!"_

" _We've got enough time to get a weeks worth, but remember that there's Grimm around this area." Jaune said, "We'll stay in contact with our scrolls in case we get seperated, but other than that, let's have fun with this!"_

 _Yang soon held up a camera she had gotten from her bag, "Come on everybody! Let's get a group photo for Dessie's collection!"_

 _Yang set up a tripod before setting up the timer; everyone had gotten together and readied themselves to take the photo. "Quick!" Nora said with a smile, "Everyone say pancakes!"_

" _Pancakes!" Everyone said as they gave a smile, before the camera went off with a flash._

 _After the photo had been printed the group went to work, as they started to collect the red sap. They had a scroll on, playing music to fill the void, as they filling the jars they had been carrying. Destiny on the other hand laughed and played with Zwei as she had been sitting under one of the trees; She and him had been playing tug of war as they were both putting up a good fight._

 _They kept this up until Weiss had called to her._

" _Destiny!" Weiss said, "Can you come here please?"_

" _Kay!" Destiny said as she stood up. She went over to Weiss who had been with Yang as Zwei had followed her. "Do you guys need something?"_

" _As a matter of fact we do!" Weiss said to her, "We just need your help to reach up to that vein of the tree."_

 _Destiny looked up and saw where Weiss had been pointing; she saw it had been out of reach from either of them. "But I can't reach that high." Destiny told them._

" _We know!" Yang said before taking her by surprise. She reached just underneath her armpits letting out a squeak. She soon found herself sitting on her shoulders as she had now been within reach to where they needed to be. "There! Problem solved!" Yang said with her usual smile._

" _But is it really okay?" Destiny asked, "I don't want to accidentally pull your hair."_

" _Oh don't worry about it!" Yang reassured her, "Because it's you, I'll let it slide!"_

" _Just make sure you don't slide off." Weiss said as she hand her the empty jar._

 _Destiny nodded and took the jar from her and began to fill with sap. Within moments it had been all filled up. She handed the full jar back over to Weiss before Yang put her back onto the ground. "Thanks this will do!" Weiss said to her._

" _I'm just glad I was able to help." Destiny said, "Though I'm really surprised, that all these tree have this stuff."_

" _All that syrup you put on your pancakes and waffles have to come from somewhere now don't they?" Yang said to her, "Though fun fact about this red sap here, is more sweeter than maple!"_

" _It is?"_

" _See for yourself, just don't eat the whole jar."_

 _Yang held the jar towards her, and Destiny looked at the red sap curiously. Dipping two of her fingers into the jar she gave the red sap a lick. Though it was not a second later, her eyes sparkled before she sucked the red sap dry, almost as if she had been sucking on a lollipop._

" _See? I told you." Yang said with a smile at the look on the child's face._

 _Cristal saw from where she stood as she watched Destiny hang with Yang and Weiss; She saw her happily eating the red sap, as she had allowed her to have more of the red sap. "Seems like she's having a good time." Cristal said to Ruby._

" _It's good that she is." Ruby said, "It's nice to see that she's having fun. I can tell your having a good time too."_

" _I honestly thought collecting sap would be boring, but boy was I wrong." Cristal said, "I appreciate you guys bringing us out here."_

 _Before Ruby could say anything more they soon noticed Blake looking alert about something. Soon enough a young woman emerged from the bushes, looking distressed about something._

" _Help, please!" She begged, "They came out of nowhere-! They attacked us-!"_

" _Take deep breaths miss." Blake said to the woman gently, "What happened?"_

" _The Grimm-!" The woman said, "They attacked my husband and I, down at the ravine! He's still back there, please you have to help him!"_

" _Don't worry ma'am!" Ruby said as she armed herself with her Crescent Rose, "We'll save him! Let's go team RWBY!"_

 _They all armed themselves before they quickly followed behind Ruby. "Cristal! Call Jaune, and get her and your sister somewhere safe!"_

" _We'll do!" Cristal said. RWBY went off in the direction to where the woman had pointed; Zwei stayed with the two girls. Cristal started to lead the woman towards the path, but found Destiny looking to where RWBY went as she had been unmoving._

" _Destiny!" Cristal said, "What are you doing!? We gotta go!"_

" _But… The others…" Destiny said._

" _They'll be fine, they're trained Huntresses remember?" Cristal said, "They'll be just fine. Now come on, we have to go."_

 _Destiny had been hesitant as she looked back to where RWBY had gone. After but a few moments Cristal found her sister running in the direction where RWBY went. "Destiny wait!" Cristal exclaimed, "Come back! Don't do what I think you're gonna do!" She couldn't help but groan annoyingly; she told the woman where to go before she took off where Destiny had gone in. Zwei stayed to keep the woman company._

* * *

 _Team RWBY had been quick to get to where the woman's husband had been. They followed the sounds of Grimm, eventually getting to the ravine where the woman said her husband would be. There they saw a total three large Ursa, surrounding the man. He looked to be out of breath, and a light shimmer went around his body, indicating that his aura had been depleted._

 _Ruby saw that an Ursa went to attack the man from behind._

" _ **CHECKMATE!**_ " _Ruby shouted._

 _Weiss and Blake quickly went to engage the Grimm. They jumped the Ursa from behind, and with Weiss activating her glyphs and Blake with her semblance, they were able to evade the Ursa before they had managed to land a hit on them. Yang went to take care of the other two while Ruby went to check on the man, who had fallen to his knees._

" _Are you okay?" She asked, as she helped him to stand._

" _You girls are life savers!" The man said, "I thought I was a goner!"_

" _We'll take care of the Grimm!" Ruby told the man, "Your wife is waiting for you down the path!"_

 _The man understood and quickly made his way out of the ravine. Just as he did, Ruby suddenly felt herself flying into the water that had been nearby; she lost her Crescent Rose in the process. "_ _ **RUBY!**_ " _Yang exclaimed. She was about to run to her but had soon been hit away by one of the Ursa. She flew right into Weiss and Blake. Ruby stood though the rocks in the river caused her to trip and fall. The ursa stepped towards Ruby, and she tried to get herself away from the Ursa as it towered over her. The Ursa looked ready to kill her, and she saw that there had been no way out. She shut her eyes as to not see the final blow but-_

" _Stop!"_

 _The girls were taken back when they heard a familiar voice. They turned and saw it had been the child, Destiny standing at the top of the ravine. She slid down the rocks as the ursa's looked to the child, getting ready to pounce at her._

" _Destiny!?" Weiss exclaimed, "What are you doing here!?"_

" _It's not safe you need to go!" Blake told her._

 _Destiny ignored them, as she walked towards the ursa that had been towering Ruby, as they had than realized that the three ursa hadn't been making move to attack the little one._

" _Please…" Destiny said to the ursa gently, as it turned it's sights to her, "... No one has to die."_

 _She stepped just in front of Ruby; the moment her back had been to her, she removed the eyepatch, tossing it to the floor. The girls had been taken back when the ursa leaned over and started to sniff her face; letting out a series of whimpers, as if… It was speaking to her. Destiny reached out to the Ursa and started to pet the creature; leaning it's head so that it had been resting on her shoulder._

" _I know…" They heard Destiny say, "... I know it hurts. But you don't have to kill… Here… Let me help you…"_

 _She placed a hand on top of it's head, and they saw a white light glow between them. For but a brief moment, they could've sworn they saw the eyes of the Ursa change to white, before it blinked and it's eyes changed back. The Ursa turned to it's comrades and growled; thus the ursa dispersed leaving the team just in shock and awe. Destiny fell to her knees as she caught her breath._

 _Ruby saw Destiny begin to sweat from whatever had just happened. Just as when she reached out to her, another familiar voice came ringing through their ears._

" _Destiny!"_

 _There came Destiny's older sister, Cristal, jumping down from where she was and into the ravine. She ran over to the child, sliding to her side when she saw the way she was. She placed a hand on the child's forehead before._

" _Princess… You didn't have to do that…" Cristal said as she took her in her arms, before standing, "Now look what you did to yourself."_

" _I… Had to…" The child had groaned, "He was in pain…"_

" _Even so-"_

" _Cristal!"_

 _Cristal looked to Ruby as she suddenly had what look to be a look of fear; when she had turned Ruby noticed that one of Cristal's hands had been covering her left eye. Ruby stepped out of the river and towards them._

" _What is going on…?" She asked._

" _I-" Cristal began to stammer tightening her hold on her sister, "-I don't know what you're talking about."_

" _But what Destiny did just now-!" Yang soon said, "-That was no Semblance she used just now."_

" _That's-" Cristal tried to say, but stopped herself when she couldn't come up with an excuse._

" _She just walked up to a Grimm and did something to it." Blake said, "It's eye changed, we all saw it."_

" _What did she do to it to make them just, walk away?" Weiss soon asked._

 _Cristal tried to say something but found her words stuck in the back of her throat, knowing very well she couldn't talk her way out of it. "It's okay…" She soon heard Destiny say._

" _But…" Cristal said, "... We promised dad we wouldn't remember?"_

" _I know." She said, "... But they have a right."_

" _Your eye…" Ruby soon said to the child, "... We all thought you lost it but… It's not gone is it?"_

 _Destiny looked to Ruby and shook her head._

" _What you did to the Grimm… Does it have something to do with it?" She soon asked._

 _Destiny nodded her head once again. Placing a hand on top of Cristal's she gave her a pleading look. Cristal for a moment turned her gaze to the four girls before them. One look in their eyes, she ultimately let out a sigh of defeat, before her hand finally moved from the child's face._

 _That's when RWBY gave an equally shocked look on their faces. They half-expected to see her eye missing from it's socket, or at the very least, her eye to be sewn shut, to prevent from bacteria going into where her eye had been._

 _But what they didn't expect at all was that her eye had been in the color of orange and yellow, resembling that of a Grimm._

( _ **Ending Theme: The Ancient Magus Bride Ending 1-Cycle Performed By Hana Itoki**_ )


	9. Chapter 8: The Girl Who Wanted More

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

" _ **I want to be strong…"**_

" _ **A beautiful ring, for a beautiful woman."**_

" _ **I'm sorry?"**_

" _ **I want to be feared…"**_

" _ **What!? That's impossible! What did-"**_

" _ **There she went that way!"**_

" _ **I want to be powerful…"**_

" _ **Someone call the police!"**_

" _ **How in the world did she do that?"**_

* * *

"How did you do that?"

Emerald found herself cornered in one of the many alleyways that Vale had provided. There that stood before her was a young beautiful woman with a pair of golden eyes; her short black hair covering one of them. She wore a red dress that had been tied around her neck revealing her back. Underneath her dress she had on laced cropped leggings; with it she wore heels that appeared to be made out of glass. Around her ankle she had the same black diamonds like she did on her ears. On a holster that connected to her back she appeared to have double swords.

The alley that Emerald was in had been a dead end. She didn't see any other way out and went to draw her weapons.

"Don't." The woman said to her calmly, "Unless of course… You want them to hear you."

Emerald moved her hands away from her weapons when she heard voices nearby; whoever the voices belonged to, had been looking for her.

"What do you want!?" Emerald said harshly.

"I already told you what I want." The woman replied, "And I don't like repeating myself."

"I didn't do anything!" She said, "Just leave me alone!"

The woman merely gave an amused smile to her. "I know my fair share of liars and thieves." She began to say, "Stealing is an art of patience, coordination, and in a pinch a sleight of hand. But you didn't steal that ring in your pocket."

Emerald was taken back by this as she had been shocked that the woman knew such a thing.

The woman continued, "You took it right before the jeweler's eyes… _**And he smiled**_."

Emerald only looked to the woman curiously, "... Who… Who are you?"

The woman gave her an answer.

" _ **Cinder. Cinder Fall.**_ "

* * *

" _ **You will question everything you know."**_

" _ **This-This is impossible!"**_

" _ **I wish to take on an apprentice."**_

" _ **He lives in the mountains, with his son and daughter."**_

" _ **Follow me… And you'll never go hungry again."**_

" _ **Thank you."**_

* * *

A young teenage girl with long gray messy hair with a pair of gray eyes, stood before Cinder and Emerald holding only a pistol. She wore a black tank top with dark green pants and around her neck she had on a scarf. Bandages were around her elbows and looked to be stained a little. A young teenage boy had been using the girl as support as he looked to be in worst shape than the girl was. While she only had a couple of bruises, the boy looked as though he could hardly stand. He had bandages around his legs, that had been stained with blood.

Emerald tried to move, but that only seemed to have agitated the girl as she fired at her feet. "Don't take another step!" The girl yelled, "Or else the next one will go in-between your eyes!"

"Easy now." Cinder said to her calmly, "We're not looking for any trouble."

"State your business!" The boy said to them, "What do you want!?"

"I'm looking for Marcus Black." Cinder replied.

The boy spit blood to the side, and gestured over to his left, "There you go."

There lay a man on the dead grassy floor. He showed no signs of movement or he wasn't breathing at all. "No way…" Emerald said shocked, "... _**THAT'S**_ the assassin?"

"And _**YOU'RE**_ his children." Cinder merely stated as she looked to the two of them.

The girl saw the look in Cinder's eye as she couldn't help but wonder about something. "You…" The girl soon said, "... You were watching us?"

Cinder nodded, "We were watching in the tree lines. He's taught you both well."

"Guess so." The boy said.

"What are your names?" She soon asked.

The teens looked to each other, as they didn't know if they should answer or not. Though eventually they were compelled to. "Mercury." The teenage boy said.

The girl answered with a bit of hesitation, "... Rosario…"

Cinder smiled, "... Mercury and Rosario. Tell me… Are you two anything like your father?"

* * *

" _ **What's in it for us?"**_

" _ **If we were to go with you… What would we get out of it?**_ "

" _ **We don't need them! Everything was going fi-AH!"**_

" _ **Do NOT mistake your place."**_

" _ **Our dad always said… If you need to know the city, just ask the rats."**_

" _ **Well… Hello gorgeous."**_

* * *

"Let me get this straight…"

Cinder stood before one of the elite members of the White Fang by the name of Adam Taurus, while Emerald, Mercury and Rosario kneeled before him as a sign of respect before the leader of the White Fang.

Adam paced as he continued on, "You could've gone to anyone for help… You could've made a deal with a gang leader… Paid off some Huntsmen who had strayed from their righteous path… But instead… You chose to seek an audience with me."

"Your the one that we need." Cinder said, "Your skill. Your ability to lead those beneath you. You're an exceptionally valuable man Adam. And we've put a lot of thought into-"

"Then clearly your not thinking straight!" Adam said cutting her off, "If you truly understood me, than you'd know coming here was a mistake! The White Fang is not an organization for hire, we're a force of revolution!"

"I believe our plan will be beneficial for all parties involved." Cinder said, "I have… An associate in Vale. He and I are working on a revolution of our own. But we can't do that without your forces. We need-"

"What you need is to leave." Adam said, "You're asking my men to die for your because. A human cause. That is an idea I will _**NOT**_ entertain."

"Very well than." Cinder said before she bowed her head. Thus the four of them took their leave. Adam watched them disappear within the forest ahead; for a moment he saw Rosario look back to him, just as he was approached by Blake.

"What was that about?" Blake asked.

"Nothing." Adam replied, "We need to finish preparing. The train will be here at dawn."

* * *

" _ **... What happens now?"**_

" _ **There's another task we need to attend to."**_

" _ **Excuse me? I'm looking for a friend of mine."**_

" _ **Ah yes, she was just here yesterday."**_

" _ **Remember the plan. Exactly as discussed. Not a foot out of place."**_

* * *

The clouds had blocked out the sun, and the roads had been completely empty. Well nearly empty.

A young woman rode on the back of the white steed through a dirt road. She had on a green cloak, with her hood covering her face. She wore a top that was an of a white blouse with a brown vest and corset and pants they possessed the same color as her vest did. She had on a golden bracer on her left arm and golden pauldron on her shoulder. She had on a shoulder strap that slung diagonally across her body.

As the woman continued down the road, she soon stopped in her tracks when she saw a little sitting on the ground in a fetal position next to a broken bike; She appeared to be crying. The young woman dismounted from her horse, and gotten something from its pouch, before she approached the little girl. The little one picked up her revealing her red eyes to the woman. The woman smiled a friendly warm smile. The child let out a whimper though it was revealed to be an apple that the woman had been holding; she handed it to the little one for her to take.

What the young woman didn't know however, was that there was no little girl. Instead, Emerald stood before the woman, using her semblance to mask her presence. Seeing how she had right where she wanted her, she drew her weapon.

Unfortunately it had given away her position as the woman noticed the dirt kick off on it's own and the world seemed to have stood still. She quickly jumped back and the little girl disappeared. The horse quickly ran out of fear and the cloak was removed, revealing that the woman had been, Amber herself; She drew her weapon as Emerald went to charge.

She began to open fire though Amber had been quick to block the oncoming bullets. She spun the staff in her hand and she quickly created a gust of wind, and it had been able to push Emerald back. Mercury soon came rocketing in, attacking from the side; she had been able to block him and send him flying easily. At the last second however, she blocked Rosario, as her heel almost hit her face. Round went off catching Amber by surprise though she managed to move just as it fired. Though she did the same as she did with the other two; Rosario landed just beside Mercury. Each gave a nod, before they both flew towards Amber.

Flipping her staff, they soon found themselves engulfed in fire. Though instead of burning off their aura had protected them both; part of their pants had been burned off revealing that their legs had been of prosthetic. They both kicked her at the same time sending Amber flying back and losing her weapons. Just as Amber was about to get up Emerald jumped on top of her creating a crater just beneath her.

The three of them landed just in front of her, just as Amber started to stand up. Her eyes were soon lit a flame and for a moment they were pushed back. They soon found Amber hovering above the ground. The three of them tried to balance themselves as they found themselves in a middle of a tornado. With simple movements from her hands, she sent lighting towards them; they were quick to move as they started to try to get behind her.

They began to fire at her, but the bullets didn't even get close to her face as there had been a barrier of some kind. With a clench of her fist, the leaves around them began to float around them. In an instant ice seemed to have cover them. It hadn't been long before Amber used it to rain down on them as if it had been hail. They barely blocked the attack as the attack had depleted a huge amount of their Aura.

Amber soon heard running from a distance. She turned and saw Cinder running towards her. She quickly formed a fireball, before launching it towards her. Cinder jumped in the air just as the fireball hit the ground. Using her semblance she lifted the loose rocks that had been on the ground making them into a set of spears. She used them to attack Amber, hitting her dead center as she plummeted to the ground.

When Amber picked up her head, she saw that her attackers had vanished; or so she thought. She had soon caught a glimpse of Emerald, followed by Mercury, Rosario and Cinder who had gotten her weapons out. They charged at her head on, with Cinder attacking first, though Amber had been quick to push her back, leaving behind a trail within the dirt. Mercury and Rosario attacked on both sides though Amber had been able to hold ground as she pushed them back.

When Emerald tried to attack her from behind, she managed to flip over, giving her a punch to the back of the head making Emerald stumble on her feet. Cinder had connected two of her swords together, creating a bow. Getting an arrow from her belt she fired three as it had surrounded Amber. The ground seemed to have lit a flame as Amber let out a cry; a shimmer of light had gone around her body as her Aura had finally been depleted.

Cinder soon approached Amber, along with Rosario, Mercury and Emerald, as she had been prepared to deliver the final blow to the young woman. The four of them suddenly found themselves pushed away by a strong gust of wind. Cinder losing her footing while she lost her bow and arrow, but the three managed to steady themselves. Mercury and Rosario charged at Amber, each attempting to kick her though Amber had gotten the upper hand. She created a fireball as it hurt Mercury causing Rosario to halt her attack as she looked to her brother with worry.

It hadn't been long before she found herself falling to the ground when Amber attacked her with lighting, knocking her out. She sent fire in Emerald's direction; one hitting the illusion, the other hitting the real one, causing her to fall back. Amber picked up her fallen staff before she made her way towards Emerald. She picked up her head, and found herself being started down. She lifted her staff, preparing to finish her off.

" **AH!** "

She felt a sharp pain in the back of her shoulder, as she fell to her knees, dropping her staff. Turns out Cinder had fired an arrow; she smirked in triumph at this. Dropping her weapons, she started to walk towards Amber as Emerald and Mercury held her down. Cinder put on what looked to be a white glove that had a red insignia in the middle of it. As Rosario recovered from Amber's earlier attack she watched as Cinder opened her palm to Amber while Amber herself struggled against Emerald and Mercury's hold.

She and Amber nearly jumped when she saw what looked to be a bug resembling that of a Grimm come crawling out.

"Please don't…" She heard Amber beg.

Rosario stood up from the floor, "Ho-hold on… What are you-!?"

She was cut off in mid-sentence when she saw the bug spit out black goop, nearly covering Amber's face. She heard her let out a horrific cry, as she watched the power leave her and go right into Cinder. She saw her eye lit up with fire, a red eye appear on the floor, and the look in her eyes. She felt her body start to shake.

"N-No…" She started to say, "This isn't-This is all-"

Just as the process was about to finish, they were caught by surprise when a person, a Huntsman to be precise came running towards them. This Huntsman had been revealed to be Qrow Branwen. He swung his sword at Cinder, cutting away whatever had been connecting to Amber; he swung his sword towards Mercury and Emerald causing them to jump away. He caught Amber before she could hit the ground. The white glove sunk into her skin, and a black tattoo appeared on her back. Fire lit up once more as she had a smile on her face.

When Qrow looked to Amber's assailant he saw that her face had been blurred up, so he couldn't get a good look at her appearance. He didn't have time to think on it when he felt the floor heat up. He quickly moved just as the ground exploded, with Amber still in his arms.

And just like that… They were gone.

* * *

" _ **The Huntsman severed the connection before it was complete-Yes. It's an emptiness. It burns. Like hunger. I like it-Yes. I will claim what is ours. Thank you."**_

" _ **You can't just leave!"**_

" _ **Mercury, this isn't the kind of thing I signed up for! She was killing that girl, can't you see that!?"**_

" _ **So what!? People die all the time! What difference does it make anyway!?"**_

" _ **... If that's the way you feel, than you can continue on. But you can continue without me."**_

" _ **Let her go. She made her decision. Let's just focus on getting those useful on our side."**_

* * *

The apartment that Roman and his daughters lived in was small and a bit cramped and had seen better days. Almost every wall in that complex had been coming apart, he could almost swear that new cracks formed on every surface. The floors creaked with every step that they took and had always been cold; he didn't know how they survived those winter days in Vale. Though he had supposed it was better than living out on the streets, and the landlord wasn't all that bad in a way.

At the moment he had been sitting over at the table to which the kitchen connected with the living room, where both of his daughters were. Cristal wearing a flannel red shirt that had been unbuttoned revealed her black tank top and a with a pair of worn out jeans sat on the couch, playing a game via scroll. His youngest daughter Destiny, who wore a baggy looking shirt with pants sat in front of the television watching whatever was on, while she had been drawing; an IV tube went into her shirt, connecting to her chest.

He had been looking through the mail; flipping through one envelope after another. One had tax, medical bills and a risk of eviction. He grumbled angrily and mumbled something incoherent, before he ripped up the envelopes tossing them into the trash; he hit his hand on the table before he let out another groan.

"Daddy…?" He soon heard Destiny say looking to her, "... Is everything alright?"

He took a deep breath before he calmly replied, "Everything's alright Princess. Don't worry about it."

Destiny's expression softened while Cristal didn't seem convinced. "You sure about that?" Cristal asked with a raised eyebrow.

Before Roman could reply, they were somewhat taken back by a knock at the door. The room seemed to have gone quiet. He put a finger to his lips motioning the two of them to stay quiet which they did before he approached the door, while he picked up his weapon. He looked through the peephole to which the door had been provided and had been taken back when he saw a familiar woman with golden eyes.

"Good afternoon Roman." Cinder said, making the two girls flinch a little at the sound of her voice, "I was hoping I would find you here. Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Yeah of course." Roman replied calmly, "Just give me a minute."

He soon turned to his daughters putting his weapon nearby, "Cristal." He whispered, "Take Destiny and hide in your room."

Cristal nodded her head silently as she quickly started to put away all evidence that they had been there.

"Dad?" Destiny whispered fearfully as she stood, "What's going on?"

"It's just some of daddy's friends wanting to talk to me that's all." Roman told her gently, "Just wait in your room with your sister until I'm done."

"But-" Destiny started to say before she had been cut off when Cristal picked her up off the floor. "Come on, time to go." She said as she did this, picking up the bag of medicine that had been beside her. She started to make her way down the hall. Though just as they passed by Roman, he felt her tug on his shirt a little taking him back a little.

"Be careful… Okay?" The child said with a worried look in her eyes.

Roman gave her a smile, giving her a pat on the head, "Always." He said before he gave her a kiss on her forehead before turning to Cristal, "Go now. Don't come out until they're gone."

After giving her a kiss on the cheek, she gave him a nod, and quickly and quietly went down the hall, toward the second door going inside with Destiny in her arms. Roman quickly took the couple of photos of them that had been sitting on the table and placed them in a drawer; though as he closed it shut, he didn't realize that a single photograph fell to the floor. With another sigh he went and let Cinder, Emerald and Mercury inside.

"Nice to see you again." He said shutting the door and regaining his composure, "Cinder was it? Though I'm curious as to how you found my address."

"Your associate Junior was nice enough to provide us with that information." Cinder replied as she looked through his apartment; Emerald and Mercury doing the same.

"Of course." He said as he couldn't help but roll his eye, "So what brings you and your little friends here? I know this isn't a social visit."

"Do you remember that little favor I told you about?" Cinder soon asked, "On the day we first met?"

Roman couldn't help but eye her in a certain way, "... Why do you ask?"

"It just so happens that I need your assistance." She replied, gesturing to Mercury and Emerald, "As you can plainly see… I'm short on a person."

"What? Did Rosa decided to quit while she was ahead?"

"You could say that."

"So than… What exactly do you need from me?"

He soon took notice of Mercury as he he had been a bit closer to the hall. He started to feel nervous, but he kept himself together.

"Junior's also told me about your reputation." Cinder soon said, "I have to say your an incredibly talented thief. Avoiding all the officers here in Vale, and even when you were captured you always found ways to escape your confinement."

"Are you supposed to go somewhere with this?" Roman soon asked.

"As a matter of fact I am." She replied, "I require your skills to gather Dust for the coming revolution I have in mind."

This time he raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by revolution?"

"There's not much I can tell you. Once I get the White Fang on my side, let's just say this peace we have will come to an end."

He soon started to put things together at her words, "... You're not talking about, starting a war are you?"

Cinder chuckled amusingly at this, "Your reputation precedes you. But like I said, I can't let you in on the information."

Roman couldn't help but sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Look here…" Roman started to say, "I don't know what exactly Junior told you about me, but I only steal lien and other necessities for the benefit of others no questions asked, but you're talking about taking down an entire kingdom-Assuming that is your endgame. Simply put-I _**DON'T**_ do it, because there would be no point."

Cinder seemed to have a certain look in her eye, "I think your misunderstanding the situation here… Roman."

With a wave of her hand, flames appeared just before Roman's feet, which took him back. "Either you help us…" Cinder said as her eyes glowed, "... Or you pay with your life."

Roman merely gulped, but kept it together. He grabbed a hold of his cane and armed it, aiming it towards her; she didn't seem phased by this which didn't surprise him in the slightest. "You asked me for a favor and I gave you my answer." He said, "I suggest you leave right now, before things start to get ugly."

Despite his threat, he didn't want to start a fight since his daughters happened to be in the vicinity; and judging from how Cinder was just controlling a set of flames at his very feet, she could bring down the whole building if she wanted. Though he was hoping it wouldn't have to come to that.

Before Cinder could make a move, she noticed at the corner of her eye, Emerald had picked something up from off of the floor. She saw it had been a photograph that Emerald made sure she had seen without his knowledge. She gave a smirk before she made the flames disappear; in return Roman disarmed himself.

"Very well than." Cinder had said, "I will take my leave. Have a good day."

With that, Cinder, Emerald and Mercury the small apartment, shutting the door behind them. Roman let out a sigh as he fell to his knees, looking to the floor that had been in a blackish color. The door soon creaked open and the first to step out of the room was young Destiny, followed by her older sister.

"Daddy?" Destiny said, tapping him on the shoulder, "Who… Who was she? Why was she here…?"

Roman gave her only one look, before he pulled the child into a hug. He didn't say anything as he had merely stroked the child's hair. Destiny had been caught by surprise by this gesture, but in turn returned the hug, leaning into her father's embrace.

Cristal looked to the floor, seeing it partly charred and burned. "... She's… Not gonna come back her… Right…?" She asked her father softly.

Roman turned to his eldest daughter, before he replied, "No… You and Destiny won't see her again…" He soon mumbled as he didn't want the two of them to hear, "... I hope."

Destiny couldn't help but look to the door having but a curious look in her eyes as she wondered who the stranger could be.

* * *

" _ **There could be no mistaken now. They were there. What would you have do? Shall I kill them?... Oh I see… Yes. I understand. When all is set and done… I will deliver them to you.**_ "

* * *

Adam couldn't believe what had happened only mere hours ago. Blake Belladonna, betrayed the White Fang; turned her back on their cause. Only one question remained in the back of his mind… Why? Why would she do it?

Two people stood in the tent with him; one of them was his lieutenant who had his mask covered with a Grimm mask like so many others and the other was a young girl, who had been young teen, having a mask cover her eyes as well. The only that seemed visible was what looked to be a set of cat ears with one looking to be chipped, and black hair that had been a cut into a pixie cut hairstyle looked to be even more pissed than Adam had been right now; she hissed angrily revealing her fangs.

"Damn you!" She cursed as she hit her fist on the table, "Damn you Blake! You dare run from us! How could you do this!?"

"Calm yourself Shae." The lieutenant reassured her, "We will find her. I swear on my life."

"See that you do!" Shae told him, "I very much like to give my eldest a piece of my mind! When I see her again I swear to God that I'll-!"

"No." Adam said cutting her off, "Just forget it. It's time I return to Mistral and-"

This time Adam had been the one cut off his sentence, when they heard the sound of gunfire just outside of the tent as well as they're own screaming. The three of them quickly ran outside of the tent, armed and ready to fight.

" **WHAT IS THIS!?** " Adam shouted as he drew his sword.

There before him, he saw it was the three people he had encountered before. Though Cinder's two had adversary's cases held in front of them; Cinder had her swords drawn.

"Adam…" The girl named Shae said cautiously when she noticed Cinder's eyes were on Adam, "... Who is that?"

"We could've gone to anyone for help…" Cinder began to say before Adam could reply, "... But we chose you, Adam Taurus."

She tossed both of her swords down, surprising the Fanus.

"Our plan will beneficial for both of us…"

The three of them backed up when they saw flames appear before them; they were quick to realize that Cinder had been the one that caused them.

"... _**Or one of us.**_ "

Emerald and Mercury soon opened the cases before them; one had dust crystals and the other was filled with money.

"So… Which will it be?"

Adam, his lieutenant, and Shae look to one another as they were unsure. Though after a few moments, Adam and his lieutenant put their weapons away, while Shae on the other hand had been hesitant but had eventually put down her weapon. Cinder seemed to know what their answer had been.

"Good." She said as she made the flames disappear with a wave of her hand, "Now… For your first order of business."

She soon pulled out a picture before tossing it towards Adam. He had been quick to catch it, before he looked to the photo in his hand. Shae looked over her shoulder and saw their had been two people in the picture. It had been a teenage girl with a red eye, and most of her hair covering the other, while a little girl sat on her lap, having magenta and orange hair, a green eye with a black eyepatch and an IV tube connected to her chest.

"I need you to retrieve these two." Cinder said, "The child you cannot harm. Her sister is another matter, that is if she chooses to fight, but she is to be captured alive as well."

Shae looked surprised, "You want the White Fang… To kidnap humans?"

"Why?" Adam asked, "What are these two to you?"

Cinder merely gave a smile to him, "... That answer will be revealed, in time."

* * *

" _ **Daddy? Is that you?"**_

" _ **Destiny! Get away from there now!"**_

" _ **Quick! Grab them!"**_

" _ **RUN! FIND BIG SIS!"**_

" _ **Stay down!"**_

" _ **Cristal! Stop hurting her please!"**_

" _ **Don't do anything stupid kid."**_

" _ **Get your fingers off her you-AH!"**_

" _ **I told you to stay down!"**_

" _ **Daddy! Daddy help!"**_

* * *

" **DESTINY!? CRISTAL!? WHERE ARE YOU!?** "

Roman had currently been in full fledged panic mode right now. He had just gotten home from one of his late night jobs courtesy of Junior; Though when he got home, he found the apartment a complete mess, and his own daughters missing. Immediately afterwards he contacted Neo and told her about his daughters currently missing. He searched high and low for the two of them, he even checked where Cristal would usually hang out whenever she snuck out of the apartment, but no matter where he looked he couldn't find a trace.

In the end he only did the one thing he could do, and call out their name.

Eventually he ran into Vale's public park, stopping at a bench as he tried to collect his thoughts. It hadn't been long before he was approached by Neo who had looked just as worried as he was. He didn't even need to look up to see who had been in front of him.

"Tell me you at least had better luck than I did…" He said as he looked up.

Neo's eyes softened and soon shook her head in reply. "Damn it…" He said. He took out a cigar from his pocket before lighting it.

"Where in the hell could they be Neo…?" He wondered aloud, "... They can't be dead can they?"

Neo shook her head again, this time putting her hands on top of his own. Though she couldn't speak, Roman knew what she had been trying to say. "Yeah, your right." He said tapping his cigar lightly as he removed it from his mouth, "I shouldn't think like that. Still who could've done this? Who could've trashed the apartment?"

"My, my, what's with the pitiful look on your face?"

The two jumped and turned to the sound of the voice; they saw that it had been the woman with golden eyes. The one named Cinder.

"You?" Roman said as he stood, "What the hell do you want?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd show you a little something that may peak your interest…" She replied as she pulled out her scroll.

Roman and Neo raised their eyebrows at this. They saw her pull up live footage before she turned it towards them. Their eyes widened in horror by what was on the footage exactly. The screen had been split into two; one contained Cristal and the other had Destiny. The rooms they were in looked to be a standard prison cell, only they had no windows. Destiny had been hitting on the door, shouting something and saw that tears had covered her face, while Cristal looked to be unconscious; bandages covered parts of her arm and one was seen on her face.

He gave her a look to kill, "What the hell is all of this?"

"Call it leverage." Cinder replied calmly, "I have to say…" She pointed towards the footage containing Cristal, "... Your little _**gem**_ here put up quite a fight. Too bad I wasn't the one to personal see to this matter."

Roman's stare harden before he pointed his weapon towards her, "Where are they!? What have you done to them!?"

"Rest assured, they're being taken care of by the White Fang." Cinder replied as she put her scroll away, "They'll stay that way… _**As long I say so**_."

Roman's hand shook at the thought, though Neo on the other hand reacted differently. As her eyes changed, she actually charged at her, arming her blade. Before she could attack-

" **NEO! DON'T!** " Roman shouted.

Neo managed to stop herself, blade inches from Cinder's face, who only had a smile on her face; she still had her weapon armed. "You have quite the pet now don't you?" Cinder said amusingly, causing Neo to grit her teeth putting the blade closer to her cheek.

"Neo." Roman said to her in a stern voice though Neo could see that his arm had been shaking, "Please."

Neo's eyes softened at the way he spoke, before she put her weapon down to her side, just as her eyes changed to white.

Cinder soon stepped forward, "Roman Torchwick. Will O' Wisp. The Gentleman Thief. You have two options laid before you right now. Either you help us, and I give them back to you. Or… I can guarantee that your _**Princess**_ , and your _**Gem**_ will never be seen by anyone ever again… That is of course, if you still refuse."

Roman bit his lip as he used his other hand to stop his arm from shaking; Neo returned to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him.

"What do you say?" She spoke again, "Will you reconsider?"

Finally Roman brought his weapon to his side, looking to Cinder eyes filled with both hate and worry.

"If I help you… You'll give them back to me…?" He asked.

"You have my word." Was what she had replied.

* * *

" _ **What a way to kick off the finals!"**_

" _ **YEAH! YOU DID IT SIS!"**_

" _ **You put up a good fight. Though as they say, better luck next time!"**_

" _ **There's not going to be a next time blondie."**_

" _ **Yang Xiao Long, stand down!"**_

" _ **MY LEG! MY LEG!"**_

* * *

No one couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.

One of Beacons most prized students shot a student, when he was defenseless no less! It was unbelievable! Not even Yang herself could believe her eyes. She was frozen in place, watching what had been happening before her. Paramedics came with a stretcher running towards Emerald and Mercury.

"Please!" Emerald pleaded, "Someone help him!"

The Paramedics soon placed a stretcher beside Mercury, as they examined his wound.

"Can't you do something!?" Emerald asked with worry.

"We need to get this boy to the hospital." The Paramedic had said.

They soon helped Mercury onto the stretcher and they proceeded to make their way off the stage with Yang watching, still trying to process what had just happened.

"You don't understand!" She tried to reason, "He attacked me, I swear! You have to believe me!"

"Stow it!" The Atlas soldier said, "You already caused enough of a scene."

Yang was about to say something, though she had decided to do what they say, as she stayed silent; it hadn't been long before she was escorted off the stage.

The Paramedics quickly made their way to the shipping dock, finding an ambulance; it hadn't been long before a woman had gotten their attention. "Over here!" She said, "We got an ambulance ready to go!"

They bought Mercury inside the ship, with Emerald following beside him. The ship closed shut with a push of a button.

"Hope they'll be okay." One of them said, "That girl won't leave his side."

"We'll take good care of both of them." The woman told him with a reassuring smile.

The ship soon left without delay. Finally the woman who sat in the passenger's seat, removed her hat letting long black hair; the paramedic had been revealed to be Cinder. She began to fix her hair, as Mercury groaned over-dramatically.

"Oh doc!" He said being over the top, "Tell me! Will I ever walk again?"

Emerald punched him in the arm causing him to cry out in agony; he quickly sat up, "What's your deal?"

"Ugh…" Emerald groaned, "... Headache. One mind I can handle, but two is a stretch."

"Well you all performed marvelously." Cinder said, "Driver included."

Of course she had been referring to Neo, being the driver. All Neo did was give a fake smile and nod her head, careful as not to show her real emotion as her eyes changed back to pink and brown.

"So…" Mercury started to say, "... Do you think it worked?"

* * *

- _ **Twenty-Four Hours Later**_ -

" _ **A terrible took place, during the one on one rounds in the Vytal Festival."**_

" _ **I don't know what the Beacon Headmaster is teaching his students, but that was disgraceful! Completely uncalled for!"**_

" _ **Despite Atlas reinforcements, local authorities are calling on any available Huntsmen to aid the suppressing spike in Grimm Activity."**_

The TV suddenly turned off, and Mercury couldn't help but groan as he was fixing up his leg. "I was watching that you know!" He said to her.

"Shut up!" Emerald said annoyed.

"Is this how you treat a patient?" Mercury said, "Seriously, my sister was a better doctor than you!"

Emerald's eyebrow twitched slightly, as she purposely tighten a screw which made him cringe.

"Ow, too tight!" He exclaimed.

"Enough!" Cinder said, "Our Mercury put on quite the show. He was quite brave."

"Yeah well…" Mercury said as he started to fix up his leg again, "... These things aren't exactly cheap."

"What's next?" Emerald asked.

She soon replied, "You and I will make sure that our next matchup goes… Just as smoothly."

Cinder went to exit out of the building with Emerald following close behind her. "What about me?" Mercury asked.

"You get to lay low until the end." She replied, "We wouldn't want people to see you on your feet and have all this be for naught now would we?"

Mercury merely smirked, "Can do."

( _ **Second Ending Theme: Rokka No Yuusha Ending 3-Nameless Heart Performed By Aoi Yuuki**_ )


	10. Chapter 9: Do You Believe?

_**(Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams)**_

- _ **One Week Earlier**_ -

 _RWBY had contacted JNPR, soon after the Grimm vanished in the forest. They told them about what happened and even what Destiny had been hiding underneath her eyepatch, and needless to say, they found this kind of thing unbelievable. After making sure the couple had been alright, they headed back to Beacon and went straight towards the dorms._

 _Destiny laid in Blakes bed, with the pillows propped up so that she had been sitting up, while Cristal sat at her bedside looking at her feet, staying silent, while RWBY and JNPR looked to the two of them, not knowing what to say to them. Often at times, they looked at Destiny's eye as she pet Zwei who laid in her lap._

 _Sometimes, one of them went to say something, but immediately shut it, as if they were afraid they would say words that they wouldn't take back._

 _Cristal finally turned to look at the group._

" _I know that look anywhere." She merely stated, "You all have questions."_

" _I-" Ruby started to say before she had been cut off when Cristal spoke again. "You guys get three." She soon said._

 _The group looked to one another at this, still unsure of the situation. "I… Think we might have more." Ruby soon said._

" _I know." Cristal told her, "... But… It'll be overwhelming for the two of us, if you all just ask at once. So you only get three."_

 _Both teams nodded in understanding at this, though each had been a bit hesitant as to ask, seeing as how she was only going to allow them to ask three. It hadn't been long before Pyrrha spoke first, directing her attention towards Destiny._

" _When… You told me about the other secret…" Pyrrha soon said, "... Is this what you meant…?"_

 _The child didn't reply using words, she only nodded, "I didn't say anything about it, because… I was scared of what you all would think of me. I was worried that you were going to hate me."_

" _Well… Hate isn't the word we would use." Blake told her gently, "We're more surprised."_

 _Cristal and Destiny looked to the group surprised, when they realized they had the same thought as Blake did. "Gotta admit, that wasn't the kind of response I was expecting." She said._

" _That almost sounds like you were expecting us to hate you and her." Ruby added._

 _Cristal didn't seem to add onto that, as she stayed silent for a moment. "You got two left." She told them, "What else do you want to know?"_

" _How…" Jaune soon started to say, "... How did her eye end up this way?"_

 _The sisters glanced to one another again. "Want to or should I?" Destiny asked her older sister._

" _You know what Princess?" Cristal said, "Let's tell them together."_

" _Tell us what?" Nora soon asked._

 _The two sisters nodded before they turned back to the group. "What we're about to tell, never, and mean_ _ **NEVER**_ _leaves this room." Cristal told them with a serious look, "Never repeat this to anyone else, understand?"_

 _RWBY and JNPR nodded their heads, before Destiny had been the first to speak up, "Well, this might be hard to believe but… To tell you the truth…_ _ **I didn't always have an eye**_ _."_

 _The group looked to child, shocked. Right now in their heads, they were trying to process this information._

" _What?" Weiss finally said._

" _I know, it's surprising." Cristal said, "But it's true. Poor little Destiny had a birth defect. When she came into this world she only had one. Gave our folks a shock, that's for sure."_

" _But than…" Ruby started to say._

" _... Than how did she miraculously get a new one?" Cristal finished for her, "That began long ago… Back when our mom, was still alive." She stood up as she walked over to the window to daze at the twilight like sky. They saw through the reflection her expression change._

" _Cristal told me that… She was really close with our mom." Destiny began to explain when they noticed that she stayed silent, "They-Or we used to live in a small town in Anima. Back than our dad didn't have to steal anything. He had a job as a waiter in a small family diner, while mom ran a tailor shop. Cristal attended a school the small town had, though she told me she would often help out after the school day. They didn't really have enough money, but… They were happy. They had everything they could ever ask for. But than… Our town was invaded by Grimm."_

 _The group lightly gasped at this as they couldn't help but feel horrified. Cristal still stayed silent while Destiny continued on._

" _Dad and some of his friends tried their best to drive them out till a Huntsman arrived, or at least until Atlas had gotten there. He told me that, by every hour the numbers of Grimm grew. Than… He said they just suddenly stopped attacking. And after they stopped, they just left. He didn't know why, at first, until he… Went back home…"_

 _They saw that Destiny's body begin to shake, as tears had been threatening to fall. Her body shook slightly as she struggled to say her next set of words, but found it had been difficult to do so._

 _She had only been encouraged when she felt Pyrrha give her a pat on the head._

" _It's alright." She reassured her, "Just take your time."_

" _There's no need to rush." Yang added as she placed her hand on her shoulder._

 _Destiny merely nodded her head, as she rubbed her eyes to prevent tears from falling. They didn't realize that Cristal was trying to prevent herself from crying as she had been biting her bottom lip. Destiny started again, "When he… Returned home, he found the house… A complete wreck… And our mom… She…"_

 _Finally she couldn't hold back anymore as she started to cry. What they found intriguing was as the tears from her left eye looked to be covered in black spots. The tears emitted mist, some of them even evaporated before they hit the floor. They found this surprising but decided not to make a big deal out of it since Destiny had been going through so much at the moment._

 _It was finally Cristal's turn to speak up; after she took a deep breath._

" _Our mother… Was killed." Cristal soon finished as she went to comfort the child, "The Grimm that came into our town, was only a distraction. Someone broke into our house, and wanted to take my sister and me away. The person that attacked our town, had been controlling the Grimm. Our mom told me to just run with Destiny and not look back but…" They saw that Cristal had stopped, her hand had been shaking slightly as she tightened her grip on her arm before she picked it back up again, "... I froze up. I held onto my little sister, as I saw that damn_ _ **WITCH**_ _take away the only person my dad ever loved."_

 _The group had been taken back by the term Witch as they saw Cristal's expression change a little, to a look of anger. "She did something to my sister that day, and took away our mother. I'll never forgive her for that. Dad seems to think that our mom's death was his fault. As a kid I used to think that too, but… Eventually I forgave him, since I realized it hadn't been his fault. He just made a choice, and did what he thought was the right thing."_

 _The group thought about the story they had told them just, as Destiny started to calm down. They all seemed to have put two and two together at that point, "That's why…" Blake started to say, "... Roman kept you both hidden this whole time. To keep this Witch from finding you."_

" _That's… Most of it." Cristal replied with a bit of a sneer, "If it wasn't for that Witch, Destiny and I would actually have a normal life. I swear if I ever see her, I'm going to make her pay."_

 _They noticed the tone of Cristal's voice had changed slightly, when Blake had said the word Witch again. They couldn't help but wonder what exactly she had been thinking right now, though decided it should be saved for another time, as they decided on their last question._

" _Just now… You were able to calm the Grim." Ruby said to Destiny, "... How… Did you do that?"_

" _That wasn't a semblance you used." Blake said, "That was… Something else."_

 _Cristal and Destiny looked to one another as they were a bit unsure if they should say next. Though they non-verbally communicated, they had eventually agreed with something._

" _You're right, it wasn't a semblance I used but…" Destiny said, "... I'm not sure if you'll believe us if we told you."_

" _We believed you're dad is a criminal, and the fact that you have a Grimm eye!" Nora said, "We'll believe you and your sister with anything you tell us!"_

 _Destiny and Cristal looked to each other again before they exchanged in a nod._

" _Well, than riddle me this…" Cristal started to say, "... Do you believe in something called…_ _ **Magic**_ _?"_

 _At that point, their jaws just dropped._

* * *

- _ **Present**_ -

A lullaby is what Destiny seemed to hear at first. It had been a soft melody, with a voice that had been as warm as silk. Though the room she felt herself in, was cold, while there had been warmth. She felt someone, brushing her gently, as whoever had been humming continued with her song.

Though as quick as the warmth came, it had suddenly vanished. She felt herself grow cold, and heard the lullaby fill with solemn. She heard the same person crying, and holding onto her. She seemed to hear something unclear, as the words the woman had been speaking something incoherent. One thing however was clear through her ears.

" _ **How could the Gods let this happen…?**_ "

And just like that, the dream seemed to have come to an end, as her vision had soon ben replaced with a bright light. When she opened her eyes she found herself back in the dormitory building. She saw that Cristal and Pyrrha had been sitting at her bedside. She saw that team JNPR looked to be talking to someone.

"Cristal? Pyra?" She groaned.

Cristal and Pyrrha looked over to her and their eyes had brightened; She soon noticed a bandage patch on Pyrrha's shoulder.

"Destiny!" They both exclaimed as they gave her a hug.

"You're okay!" Pyrrha said, "Thank goodness!"

"How do you feel Princess?" Cristal asked.

"I'm… Alright." Destiny replied as she looked to Pyrrha's wound, her expression softening slightly, "I guess."

"Hey!" Cristal soon called out, "She's up!"

The people that JNPR had been talking made themselves known; she saw it had been team RWBY, although, she noticed Yang had been missing.

"You feeling better?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah." Destiny replied as she nodded, "No worries."

"We got worried when Pyrrha and Cristal told us what happened." Blake soon said, "You gave them a shock when you collapsed suddenly."

"Sorry about that." Destiny said, "I didn't mean to make everyone worry."

"Don't apologize Princess." Cristal said, "It's not your fault."

"It kind of feels like it though." The child couldn't help but say, before she looked to team RWBY, "Where's… Yang? Is she taking nap?"

Ruby, Weiss and Blake looked at each other for a moment before they turned back to her sister, who had been giving them a look of concern as well. "I can tell her if you want to." Cristal said to the team.

"No, I'll do it." Ruby said, before she replied to Destiny's question, "There… Was an accident during Yang's match with Mercury. Because of that… We were disqualified from the tournament."

Destiny gasped in horror at this, "Is Yang alright?"

"She's fine." Blake reassured her, "She just needs some time to herself, that's all."

"Still… It's terrible." Destiny said, "I'm really sorry that you got disqualified. I bet you guys would've gotten the gold medal with they way you were fighting."

"Thanks." Weiss said with a smile, "It means a lot. And I have to say… It really was a good run."

"Yeah." Blake said with a smile, "Well, better luck next festival, I suppose."

"That guy-" Cristal soon said snapping her fingers a little, "-Mercury was his name right? How is he doing by the way?"

"From what I heard, Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family." Ruby replied, "Until they land, no one can really question about what happened."

"Well, I hope he'll recover." Jaune said.

"If there's anything we can do, please don't hesitate the ask." Ren soon said to team RWBY.

"If that's the case…" Ruby said, "... Pyrrha?"

"Hmm?" Pyrrha said looking over to her.

"You be sure to win the tournament for Beacon, okay?" Ruby said.

"It's what Yang would've wanted." Weiss added.

Pyrrha turned over to the side as she couldn't help but have a thought; Destiny seemed to notice the look she gave as she tilted her head a little. She soon gave what looked to be a fake smile, "I'll be sure to do my best."

"I'll be sure to watch you tonight, in case you get picked!" Ruby said with a smile. Pyrrha only nodded, still having the fake smile on her face.

"I don't know about the rest of you but… I think I've had enough fighting for one year." Blake said.

"Ditto." Weiss said, "Want to get some coffee?"

"Tea." Blake replied as she smiled.

"Mind if I tag along?" Cristal soon asked the two, "I've wanted to try the caramel tea that they got."

"I don't see why not." Weiss said with a shrug.

With that, the three of them left the dorm building. Just when Ruby was about to, Destiny quickly scrambled out of the bed and ran to Ruby's side. "Would it be okay if I go with you?" She asked, "I want to find a way to cheer Yang up!"

Ruby gave her a smile, "Of course you can. I think they have pretty good gifts over by the fairgrounds."

Destiny smiled and nodded at this before she took Ruby's hand, and they ventured out of the dorms too. "See you later Dessie!" Nora said before she shut the door.

Pyrrha looked to the strange tulip in her hand, thinking about everything Ozpin had told her. About the Maidens, about a potential war. For the first time in her life, she was unsure of what to do. She wanted to consult her teammates about her predicament, but at the same time… She couldn't tell them what Ozpin had explained.

After all… They probably wouldn't believe her even if she said anything.

" **YOU HEARD THE LADY!** " Nora suddenly yelled, making Pyrrha nearly drop the flower, " **NO MORE MOPING AROUND!** "

In a puff of smoke, Nora had suddenly been wearing workout clothing, though this didn't surprise any of her teammates. She started to do all kinds of workouts, all the while she yelled, " **WE GOTTA GET YOUR BUTT INTO GEAR FOR THE BIG FIGHT! IT COULD BE TODAY! IT COULD BE TOMORROW!** "

Nora suddenly, busted out weights that weighed over 1000 pounds and went to lift them off the ground, " **IT COULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE!** " Though, she failed to hold them above her head long, as she fell to the ground with a thud.

"Um…" Pyrrha started to say.

"She's right." She heard Ren say.

Pyrrha looked over in his direction and she saw that he wore a pink apron that read "Please do nothing to the cook".

"You can't let your concern for Yang to hold you back." Ren said, "You need to focus. After all, you'll be defending the honor of Beacon Academy."

"Of course." She said, "I-"

"This blend of herbs and vegetables with nutrients to your body's well being." He said as he held a cup of green liquid to her, taking her by surprise. Pyrrha only took one smell and she nearly gagged at the scent.

"Well, that's-" She started to say again before she was once more cut off.

"Please, there's no need to thank me." Ren said.

"Thank you?" Nora said looking to the drink as she gagged, "That looks like slime from a lakebed!"

"Algae contains numerous and spectacular properties." Ren said as he held the cup to Nora, "See for yourself."

She took only one sip from the cup, and it was enough to make her go straight to the trash can as she started to spit everything back out. Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at her comrades wanting to help her out.

" **WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?** " Nora yelled at Ren.

"Me?" He said with disbelief, "You're the one that wasted perfectly good juice."

" **WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HELP PYRRHA! NOT POISON HER!** "

"There was nothing wrong with that."

" **IF IT LOOKS THE SAME COMING UP AS IT DOES GOING DOWN, THAN THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG!** "

Jaune noticed the look on Pyrrha's face, as he saw that she had been troubled. He soon thought of an idea, "Hey, how about we go and get some fresh air?"

* * *

- _ **RWBY Dorm Room**_ -

Yang sat at her bottom bunk of the room, as she had been contemplating what had transpired during her match. She knew Mercury had attacked her, she saw it with her own eyes! Why had everyone said different about it? She was thankful her sister and friends believed her story, though she had still been troubled by it all. She was also thankful about one other thing; she was thankful that their two new friends, Cristal and her youngest sister didn't bare witness to it all.

She played with her bracelet just around her wrist as she saw JNPR making their way towards the fairgrounds. It hadn't been long before she realized that she wasn't the only one in the room as she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey there, firecracker."

She didn't have to turn around to see who it had been.

"Hey Qrow…" She greeted.

Qrow stood there leaning back on the wall for support, with his arms across his chest. "So…" He started to say, "... Why did you do it?"

"You know why." She replied.

"All I know is that you attacked a helpless kid. So either you're lying… Or you're crazy."

"I'm _**NOT**_ lying."

"... Crazy. Got it."

He pushed himself off the wall, as he started to pace slowly with his hands in his pockets. "Who knows…" Yang said, "... Maybe I am."

"And here I thought you're dark haired friend was the emo one." Qrow said.

" _ **I saw my mom**_." She said suddenly, causing him to stop pacing. Yang saw out of the corner of his eye, that he looked shocked.

"I was…" Yang started to explain, "... In a lot of trouble. Took a pretty hard hit. But when I came too, the person attacking me was gone. And I thought… I saw… _**Her**_. Her sword… Like the in you and dad's old photo."

"You're not crazy." Qrow soon said, taking her by surprise; he finally turned to her and she saw he had a sad smile on his face, "That was your mom alright. Let me guess… She didn't say a word, did she?"

Yang stood up from the bed as she had still been shocked to hear this, "How… Do you know that?"

"I don't see my sister very often." Qrow said, "But she does keep in touch when it suits her." He couldn't help but give a small chuckle, "Sometimes I think Wren takes after her instead of me."

"You mean to say you actually talked her!?" Yang soon exclaimed, "That was real?!"

Qrow gave her a nod, "Yeah. She found me. Had a tip off from my most recent assignment, and wanted me to give you a message."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner!?" She said.

He turned his gaze out towards the window as he gave his reply, "I was tryin' to wait for the right moment, and this sure ain't it. But I guess you of all people deserve to know." He over to her as he gave her what looked to be a look of solemn, "She wanted me to tell you… She saved you once, but you shouldn't expect that kindness again."

Yang's expression as she looked to the floor, thinking about her mother's message. "Does Melody know?" Yang soon asked, "About you meeting her?"

"I sent her a message about it earlier." Qrow said as he still looked upset, "Though knowing her, she might've decided not to read it." He rubbed the back of his neck, "Look… Raven has a way of looking at the world, that I don't particular like. Not to mention that she's dangerous. Why my own kid decided to look for her, I'll never know. But something you and her got in common, is you're both tough eggs. You shouldn't let this tournament thing get to ya. You had a slip up, sometimes bad things just happen. I say, it's time you move on from it."

"Move on?" Yang asked looking to him, "Move on to what?"

Qrow soon leaned against the dresser, "Well… Raven let some info slip before she took off. If you wanna track her down, and…" He had been hesitant with his next set of words, "... Catch up with your cousin, I think I might be able to help out with that."

* * *

- _ **Beacon; Dining Hall Building**_ -

Pyrrha had managed to slip away from her teammates, as she wanted some time to herself, or at least only for a little bit. As she once more thought about what Ozpin had told her, the gentle breeze blew through her crimson red hair. A leaf from one of the trees blew onto her hand; the leaf had been in the color of brown. She couldn't help but think to the Fall Maiden, the one named Amber.

She knew the choice she had to make, was quite literally, a matter of life and death, but… She honestly didn't know what to do. She let a sigh as she closed her eyes shut, as she leaned her head back, closing her eyes. As she tried to think of what to do.

" _Pyrrha Nikos._ "

Pyrrha's eyes shot open as she suddenly found herself in a place filled with nothing but red. She found herself sitting before a pool of blackness. A thick layer of fog had been before her, as she had been unable to tell what it was that was surrounding her.

"What is this? Where am I?" She wondered aloud as she tried to see what had been past all the fog.

" _Pyrrha Nikos_."

When she looked ahead of her, she jumped at the sight of a pair of what looked to be a thin like creature, standing 8 feet tall before her. It's body covered with white bones and black and even white streaks of fur. It's back had been hunched over and had a head of a dragon's skull, and the base of it looked to be cracked. Horns laid upon its head that had been as white as the snow, looking similar to that of branches.

From the burning red eyes, she saw the creature before her, had been a Grimm. She went to ready herself, but found that her weapons had been nowhere to be seen.

Surprisingly enough, the beast before her, spoke.

" _Calm yourself, Pyrrha Nikos._ " It said with a voice that sounded distorted, " _If my aim was to kill you, I would've done so already._ "

Pyrrha back up from the beast, as it looked to her, giving her a good whiff of her scent; as it had towered her, she fell on her back, just taken back by the beast in general.

"Wha…" Pyrrha began to ask hesitantly, "Who… Are you…?"

The Beast let out a growl, as it sounded to be that of solemn, " _Myself, and others, were once called and known by many, before our time came to an end. In such a time, we only took two titles. For now… You may refer to me as but a…_ _ **A Child of Grimm**_ _."_

"A child?" Pyrrha said surprised, "And yet, you have an appearance of a Grimm."

The Child of Grimm chuckled at this, " _Life can work in many ways._ "

The Child of Grimm noticed the look in Pyrrha's eyes, as it saw a hint of curiousness. " _You must, have questions._ "

"Maybe one or two." Pyrrha looked to all that surrounded her once more, "Where are we? What… Is this place?"

" _A place that was left behind…_ _ **By those before us**_ … _And long forgotten, by man._ " The Child of Grimm replied, " _I've only heard of this land, in the stories my people told as a means to frighten us. I have never seen it, with my own eyes._ "

"How are you speaking to me?" Pyrrha soon asked, "I thought Cristal and Destiny were the only ones that spoke to the creatures of Grimm."

" _When my kind had walked among you, we had been capable of human speech._ " The Child of Grimm replied, " _Like you, we learned simple and many things of man. We learned what you learned, fought like you, and built civilizations and homes as you have done. We even took your form, as to make it easier for us and your kind._ "

"You mean to say… You were able to talk to ordinary people like me?"

The Child of Grimm merely nodded, giving a low growl. Pyrrha couldn't help but look to the beast in awe. She reached out to it, placing her hands just underneath its chin; The Child of Grimm did not hesitate or move away as she did this.

"I can't believe it…" Pyrrha said, "Here you are a Grimm, said to be mindless, had been capable of learning, and so much more… It's a miracle."

The Child of Grimm growled softly, " _It is a blessing for you to think that way about us. I am glad souls like you, still exist in this sorry excuse of a world._ "

Pyrrha took her hands away from the beast as she had pondered a thought. She looked into the it's eyes, as it glowed a dim red glow. "Why… Are you here?" She soon asked it.

" _I have chosen to appear before you, to ask you of something._ " The Child of Grimm replied, " _Something that I require, in order for me to take my form when the time is right._ "

"What… Would that be?" She asked.

The Child of Grimm soon answered, " _I require, only your substance of life. Or as you would refer to it…_ _ **Your Aura.**_ "

Pyrrha's eyes widened slightly at this, "But you just said that you can take the form of a person, didn't you?"

" _True, I said those words._ " The Child of Grimm replied, " _But only because of the Aura we are provided. Rest assured, I do not intend to take all of it. I only need a small amount, so that I may have a life to call my own once again._ "

"But why me?"

" _I thought it would have been obvious. You picked up my flower after all._ "

Pyrrha took the tulip from behind her ear as she looked to it, touching its petals softly. "Are you saying… This is you?"

" _Only my dormant form._ " The Child of Grimm replied, " _Let's just say, my kind abides by different rules, unlike the Grimm you've encountered in your time._ "

"And out of everyone in the world, you decided to choose me?" Pyrrha said to the Child of Grimm.

The Child of Grimm let out another growl, " _You misunderstood me Pyrrha Nikos. It was not a matter of choice, for me at least. I chose to regrow because of what is to come to this place, and you happened to find me and pick me up from where I stood._ "

Pyrrha couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this. As she looked to the Child of Grimm, it seemed to know what her question was going to be next without having to say anything.

" _You see…_ " The Child of Grimm began, " _...We have an unfortunate circumstance to when we appear. We can only appear, only when a great tragedy is about to befall. Other than your Aura, despite what pain it causes us… We have to feed off it, in order for us to stay alive and form."_

Her eyes widened at this, "What kind of a tragedy?"

" _That knowledge I'm afraid, is beyond me._ " The Child of Grimm replied, " _I don't even know when it will happen. It could happen tomorrow, it could happen when the moon rises. All I know is, there will be a great tragedy in this place. It reeks of death, and there is an aura of grief in the air._ "

Pyrrha began to process this kind of information. A great tragedy, what did this creature mean by that?

"This great tragedy you're talking about…" She started to say, "...A lot of people are going to die… right?"

The Child of Grimm stayed silent, and from this she knew it's answer. "There has to be something I can do to stop it… Isn't there?"

The Child of Grimm, once again remained silent, and this time Pyrrha was not sure how to take it. She didn't know if this tragedy that the Child of Grimm spoke of had something what what Ozpin told her or not, and honestly, not knowing had scared her. It hadn't been long before she felt the beast nudge her slightly.

" _You should have no reason to fear._ " The Child of Grimm said, " _You have the spirit of a Huntress after all. When the time comes…_ _ **You will do the right thing.**_ "

"I'd never thought a Grimm would comfort me." She said softly as she gave the Child of Grimm a pat.

" _Stranger things have happened in this world._ " The Child of Grimm said, " _I can tell you are troubled. Your own choices are up to you and you alone and I will not force you into something you do not wish to partake._ "

"If it's alright…" Pyrrha started to say, "... Can I ask you something?"

The Child of Grimm nodded it's head in reply.

"What happens… When I give you some of my Aura?"

For a moment, the Child of Grimm remained quiet as it turned over to the pool of black. " _The energy within my body, will construct a proper form for me to walk upon the soils on which you stand. Until that time, you and I are to remain bonded while I remain in my dormant form. But there is no guarantee it will succeed. If you were to flicker and die before I take a form… Than I will become damaged, and most likely die as well._ "

Pyrrha remained silent at this, as she gave a look of solemn to the Child of Grimm. It was only than she realized, that the fog started to surround the beast.

" _Whether you live or die will be up to you…_ " The Child of Grimm said, " _I will await, your answer._ "

Thus the Child of Grimm faded in the fog before Pyrrha could say anything more. To her surprise when she blinked, she found herself back at the dining hall, where the leaf still sat in her hand. She took the flower from behind her ear looking to the tulip as she couldn't help but wonder if what she saw was real or not.

"Hey."

Pyrrha jumped slightly, though she calmed down when she saw it had just been Jaune as he had been holding a stick of cotton candy.

"It's no green goop, but…" He said as he handed it to her, "... I think it might do some good."

"Um… Right." Pyrrha said as she took it from him, "Thank you Jaune."

Jaune saw the look on her face and could tell she was troubled with something. He turned over and saw Nora come just from around the corner; she had been happily skipping while Ren was holding a bucket of popcorn. She looked over to Jaune though after one look on his face and she got the message. She took Ren by the arm, catching him by surprise, "Come on, let's head back to the fairgrounds! I'll win you another stuffed animal!"

Now that they were alone, he went to sit beside Pyrrha; bringing his knee close to him.

"You were the first person ever to believe in me." Jaune said getting Pyrrha's attention, "You know that right? Even when I told my parents I was going to Beacon, they told me not to worry if I ended up having to move back home. How depressing is that?"

"Jaune… I don't think they mea-"

Pyrrha let out a gasp when she felt his hand on top of her own causing her to drop her cotton candy.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Jaune started to say, "... You've always been there for me… Even when I don't deserve it. And I can tell there's something on your mind. So… I dunno… How can I help you?"

Pyrrha didn't reply, and she only gave him a smile. She leaned over as she placed her hand on his shoulder making him jump.

"You're already doing it." She said to Jaune as she slowly closed her eyes, enjoying his company. Jaune gave a smile as well as he leaned his head against her own. For awhile, they listened to the breeze blow against the leaves enjoying the sounds that was around them. It hadn't been long before a certain thought came over Pyrrha's head again.

"Jaune…" She started to say, "... I… I don't know what to do…"

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"Do…" She said as she turned to him, "... Do you believe in destiny?"

"Destiny?" He said with confusion.

"I don't mean her." She clarified, "I mean destiny in general."

"Oh…" Jaune said, "... I don't know. I guess it just depends on how you view it."

Pyrrha soon let out a sigh as she held the tulip close to her, "When I think of destiny… I don't think of it as a predetermined fate you can't escape. But rather… Some sort of a final goal."

"Okay… Yeah, I can see that."

"Well… What do you if, something you never expected came along? Something that had the potential to stand between you and your destiny?"

Jaune only looked more confused at this as he raised an eyebrow.

"Like what…?" He asked.

"Or what could you do if you could something fulfill that destiny in an instant, but at the cost of who you were?!"She said as she sounded more distressed at this.

"Pyrrha, you're not making any sense." Jaune said.

"None of it makes sense!" She exclaimed as she crossed her arms, "This isn't how things weren't supposed to be!"

"I'm sorry!" Jaune soon said as he stood up, "Please, I'm just trying to understand what's wrong…"

As her back had been to him, she soon replied as she tightened her grip on the tulip, "I always thought that I've been destined to become a Huntress-To protect the world… But it's become increasingly clear to me that my feelings were right…"

Finally she turned to Jaune, "... _**But I don't know if I can do it**_."

"Of course you can!" Jaune said, his eyes brightening slightly, "The Pyrrha Nikos I know would never back down from a challenge. And if you really believe it is your destiny to save the world… _**Than you can't let anything stand in your way.**_ "

After hearing these words, she would've thought that it would bring relief. She thought by talking to Jaune, she would've felt comfort. And yet there she stood, her heart in pieces, and tears began to form. Jaune had been quick to notice this as he looked to her with worry.

"Pyrrha?"

"Stop…"

"Did-Did I say something wrong?"

" **STOP!** "

Without even thinking, Pyrrha had activated her semblance. Jaune felt himself being pushed, towards the wall causing it to crack. " **JAUNE!** " She exclaimed, and deactivated her semblance when she realized what she had been doing. He managed to steady himself, as he looked to Pyrrha, his eyes still written with worry.

"I'm…" She said tearfully, "... I'm sorry…"

Thus, she turned and ran leaving Jaune there, not stopping despite how he called out to her.

"... What did I say…?"

* * *

- _ **One Week Earlier**_ -

" _Do you believe in something… Called_ _ **Magic**_ _?_ "

 _The whole group had been currently processing at what Cristal had just told them, as they all just had their jaws wide open and their eyes were widened with disbelief. The two girls before them, they never considered it. Neither of them possessed a semblance, and yet they were supposed to believe that they were in possession of this kind of a thing?_

" _Do you mean…" Ruby started to say, "... Magic like party magicians?"_

" _Nope." Cristal told her with a small smile, "I mean Magic. The kind out of fairy tales and legends."_

 _Nora soon gave out a laugh, "I get it, it's an inside joke! Right?"_

" _It's…" Destiny said awkwardly, "... It's really not…"_

 _At this, Nora stopped laughing and just froze a bit._

" _But… There's no such thing as magic." Weiss told them, "Is there?"_

 _Cristal couldn't help but laugh softly, "My mother, told me once, that for most of humanity and Fanus's alike, semblances come to them at a certain time, or place. But magic on the other hand well that's a bit hard to describe…"_

 _Cristal opened the palm of her hand and they were taken back when seemingly out of thin air, what looked to be a total of two spheres. One in black, and one white; a purple flame went around the sphere, and a yellow flame went around the white sphere. They noticed that Cristal's eye change from red to gold and on her forehead she had left side of a butterflies wing. They both circled around the palm of her hand, as the group watched in awe._

" _Rather than something we can gain like a semblance, it's something we're naturally born with." She explained as the spheres glowed dimly, "In some cases, those that have magic are able use the elements around us."_

" _You mean like the Dust?" Blake asked._

" _If you're think in terms of the Four Maidens, than yes." Cristal said as she made the spheres disappear, her eye changing back to normal and the insignia disappeared, "My sister and I on the other hand, we have elements that most wouldn't consider possible."_

" _That sounds…" Jaune started to say, "... Incredible! And Destiny can do this too?"_

" _Care to show them Princess?" Cristal asked, turning to her little sister after giving him a nod._

 _Destiny turned a little red, "Why me? You're better at it than I am."_

" _You agreed to telling them, so you're a part of it." She replied, "Besides, it'll be good practice for you."_

 _Destiny couldn't help but gulp, "I guess." She turned to the group, "Just so you know… I'm not gonna be very good at this."_

 _With that, the little one shut her eyes and opened the palm of her hands. The right side of a butterflies wing appeared, and her eye changed to white unlike that of her sisters. As it had changed a white flame appeared, in her hands, and it had started to take shape. It took the form of what looked to be a flower though the image of that itself looked to shake a little._

" _Wow…" Ruby said as her eyes sparkled._

" _That's amazing…" Yang added, as she had been awe like her sister._

 _Destiny's face turned a little red again, though jumped back when the flame nearly went out of controlled and vanished suddenly making everyone jump; Her eye changed back and the insignia disappeared. The child looked down still embarrassed, "See? I'm not really good like Cristal is."_

" _No, I really liked it." Pyrrha said as she gave a clap and a smile._

" _Yeah, don't look so down." Blake said, "After all, you're still learning."_

" _That's what I keep telling her." Cristal said giving her sister a pat on the head, "Our mom used to teach me this kind of stuff, and she wanted to teach Destiny too when she got to the right age." The young teen looked down at this, "But… With her gone, I've been trying my best to pick up where she left off. Before we got taken, before any of this, dad forbid us from doing any sort of magic, to hide us from the damn Witch. Though I started to show her what I know behind his back. It's still not enough since, to be quite frank, I'm still learning how to do this sort of thing."_

 _The group couldn't help but look to the two of them with sympathy at the mentioning of their mother again. Ruby soon thought of an idea, "Than maybe we can help out!"_

 _The two sisters looked to Ruby surprised and the rest seemed to have agreed with her._

" _Sounds like a good idea." Yang said with a smile._

" _Not a bad plan Ruby." Weiss said._

" _I can see that working." Blake said._

" _Whoa, whoa, hang a second." Cristal said, "Didn't you hear what I just said? Magic and semblances are two different things!"_

" _That maybe so-" Ruby said, "-But it couldn't hurt to try right?"_

" _She's right." Jaune said, "We may not a thing about magic. But can still do what we can to help."_

" _And… If you're worried about people finding out, we can find a place outside of Beacon." Ren added._

" _It'll be like our own secret place!" Nora said, "Think of it like a clubhouse!"_

 _Destiny was left stunned by this, "You mean… You would help me for my sake? Help us?"_

" _Of course we would." Pyrrha told her, "You and your sister are our friends after all."_

 _The child had been taken back at this while Cristal looked shocked. "Did you just say that…?" Destiny slowly said, "... We're friends…?"_

" _Yeah." Ruby replied with a smile, "What else would we be?"_

 _This time Destiny couldn't find the words to say, as she couldn't help but start to cry at this, which the group had jumped at this. Cristal smiled as she shook her head; she gave her a pat on the head._

" _Tone down the waterworks there Princess." She said patting her on the back; though the group could see there were tears forming in her eyes, "You should just smile."_

" _I-I can't help it!" Destiny said as she continued to sob, "It's the first time-The first time that-" The child couldn't even finish her sentence as she continued to cry. Cristal continued to comfort her as she wiped away her own tears. "Seriously Princess?" She said with her voice now cracking, "I told you just to smile didn't I?"_

 _Ruby soon approached the two of them as she gave them both a hug, surprising them._

" _No matter what happens from this point on… I promise, we'll always be together." Ruby said to them, "We'll find your dad, we'll keep you safe from whoever is trying to hunt you down…"_

" _And we'll watch your back…" Yang said joining in on the hug, taking them back even more._

" _We'll make sure you can live your life to the fullest…" Weiss said following Yang's lead._

" _... That you'll always smile…" Blake added._

" _... That you'll never be without a friend…" Jaune said._

" _... That you'll never be without your family…" Ren said._

" _... And that you'll never be alone." Nora soon finished._

 _Destiny smiled as she leaned into their embrace, as she continued to sob. This time Cristal couldn't hold herself back as she finally started to cry. Though at the same time she laughed as she smiled._

" _Man… You guys really are corny as hell…"_

* * *

- _ **Present; Beacon Courtyard**_ -

Ruby and Destiny walked alongside one another. The little one had been skipping happily as she was holding what looked to be a corgi plushie, which she had won at the stands the fairgrounds provided. They had gotten on line to the ship that would take them straight to the coliseum as the fights were about to begin. Though it hadn't been long before they had taken notice of Velvet nearby. She appeared to be taking pictures of students that had been participating in the tournament, as they passed by without a care.

The fanus soon took notice as they approached.

"Ruby! Destiny!" Velvet said, "How you going?"

"Hi again, Velvet!" Destiny greeted with a smile.

"Whatcha ya up to?" Ruby asked.

"Oh you know, just working on my photography." Velvet replied, "Do you guys wanna see?"

Velvet showed the pictures she had gotten to Destiny; the child was left impressed by her work, "You're really good at this sort of thing!"

"Thank you." She replied before she had shown Ruby her work. Ruby looked onto her camera, though was taken back when she saw the camera had been zoomed in on Sun's weapon. "That's… Better!" She said awkwardly.

Velvet's expression seemed to have soften at a certain thought, "I'm sorry to hear about your sister. Is she doing okay?"

"Yeah." Ruby replied, "She's fine."

"I think it's just awful what people are saying about her." Velvet said, as she put her camera away, "Yang is such a nice person."

"I know right?" Destiny said, "They don't know her like we do. But I got something that'll cheer her up!" The little one showed Velvet the little plush she had won earlier, "I won this at a shooting gallery. It took a couple of tries but I got it!"

"Aww." Velvet said as her eyes twitched a little, "That's really sweet of you Destiny. I'm sure Yang will love it."

"I'm glad to see that someone else other than Destiny thinks that about Yang." Ruby soon said.

"Well…" Velvet soon said to her, "... Most people don't know what it's like on the battlefield. Even experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things. If it happened to someone like Coco, than it can happen to anyone."

Ruby and Destiny soon gave her a questioning expression on their faces. "Wait a minute…" Ruby said after a moment of processing, "... You mean, the same thing happened during Coco's match?"

"Yeah." She replied, "She though that she saw Yastu with her in the forest during the fight with Emerald and Mercury. But he never made it out of the geyser fields. Stress-induced hallucinations apparently."

Destiny let out a soft gasp, as she had just realized something thinking back to the fight. Ruby thought back to it as well as if she knew, that what had happened, couldn't be from coincidence.

"Yeah…" She said thinking about it.

The two of them were both startled by a flash; they saw that Velvet had gotten out her camera again.

"Oh! Sorry!" She said with an innocent smile.

* * *

- _ **Later that Night; Coliseum**_ -

The two of them still had the thought about what Velvet had told them; about what had happened during Coco and Yatsuhashi's match. It was indeed disarming to the two of them, as they couldn't get rid of the thought. Finally the child beside her, had spoke up what she had been thinking to Ruby.

"Mercury and Emerald?" Ruby said with a whisper, "Are you sure?"

The child had replied nervously, "I don't know exactly… But…" She started to say, "... What happened to Coco and Yatsuhashi wasn't a coincidence. Those two… Are working with the lady that took Cristal and I… Not to mention, what had happened during the match… I felt something."

"Felt something?" Ruby asked, "What do you mean?"

Destiny had soon started to explain, "... I didn't tell you or the others this, since I don't really know about it myself, but…" She held out both of her hands, "... Sometimes… I can sense if something bad is about to happen. Sometimes… I can sense when someone, uses there semblances. Cristal has the same gift too."

"You mean before… When Coco and Yatsuhashi had their fight-?" Ruby started to say.

Destiny nodded her head, "I think… That lady told Emerald to cheat. I think… Made Yang lose her fight on purpose."

"But what good will that do? Emerald went with Mercury back to Haven since he was hurt."

"I'm not sure… But… There is something not right… I can hear the voice of the Grimm, saying that something is about to happen… But I'm not sure what."

Ruby gave it some thought before she said to the child, "Okay… I believe you. Once this match is over we'll go get your sister, and tell Ozpin."

"But I thought-" Destiny started to say before Ruby gave her some reassurance.

"Don't worry." Ruby said, "Once we tell him everything you told us, he'll know what to do, okay?"

Destiny looked nervous at this before she nodded her head; thus they went towards the seats that the coliseum provided for the crowd. They sat in the front row, and Ruby began to look around at all the smiling faces that had been excited for the oncoming fights. Though her expression she had seen just across from her was something, she hadn't been expecting. She saw the last person she didn't expect just sitting across from stage.

"Emerald… Is here?" She said with disbelief.

Destiny had heard this as she had been put into shock, "You can see her?"

"On second thought we can't wait after the match." Ruby soon said, "Go sit with Jaune and the others, I'll find Cristal and tell Ozpin."

Destiny stayed silent for a moment before she gave her a hug, "Be careful." She heard her say softly.

Ruby gave a pat on her head, before the child started to head over to where Jaune and his team had been. She soon took her leave as she took one of the many exits and started to go down the hall, making her way towards where the ships had been.

" _Ladies and gentlemen!_ " She heard Oobleck say from outside, " _It's time to begin the randomization progress!_ "

Ruby had almost been outside when she heard a door open nearby. She stopped in her tracks when she saw a familiar face step into the hall.

"Mercury!?" She said with her eyes once again, widened with relief.

The match had soon been set.

" _It looks like our match will be, Penny Polendina from Atlas, vs. Pyrrha Nikos!_ "

( _ **Second Ending Theme: Rokka No Yuusha Ending 3-Nameless Heart Performed By Aoi Yuuki**_ )


	11. Chapter 10: Treason and Plot

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

" _ **It looks like our next match will be Penny Polendina from Atlas vs. Pyrrha Nikos of Beacon!**_ "

Pyrrha and Penny stood at the opposite side of the stage; both were prepared to face each other in the one on one match. Penny looked excited to be there; she was practically jumping for joy. While Pyrrha on the other hand seemed to have her mind on something else.

"Salutations Pyrrha Nikos!" Penny said with a smile, "It's an honor to finally meet you!"

Pyrrha had said nothing to her as her thought had been elsewhere at the moment. She looked at her hands as they shook; though she could've sworn she saw the scenery change around her once more. She didn't even take notice that one of the petals on the flower glowed red.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Penny said with energy.

Like Ruby had told Destiny she had sat with the rest of Pyrrha's team. While the rest of JNPR looked excited, as they were cheering Pyrrha on, Destiny had a worried look on her face as she held the corgi plush close to her as she looked onto Pyrrha.

" _I don't know what will happen… I don't even know if something will happen, but… If there is someone watching from above with mom… Than please, let nothing bad happen tonight…_ "

* * *

Mercury.

Mercury Black was standing right before Ruby's eyes.

She knew that it was impossible, and yet here he was before her. All the questions kept forming at the top of her head; each answer she came up with, was more confusing than the last one.

"Mercury?" Ruby soon began to say, "What are you doing here? You were hurt! They said you went back to Haven! Why are you-?"

Ruby soon noticed the room that Mercury had come out of earlier. The door that had been labeled on it, had said staff.

"What were you doing in there?" She soon asked, "Did you do something?"

Mercury said nothing to her; instead he only smirked, which ended up irritating her.

"Fine." She said, "If you're not going to tell me the-"

Just as Ruby was about to make her way around Mercury, she saw him move in the same direction she did. She tried again though it only ended up being the same result as before. Ruby knew she was limited on options; without her weapon, she wouldn't last long, if Mercury engaged in a fight. She could try to use her semblance to escape, though whether she would be able to get through or not was another story altogether.

" _Fighters! Are you ready to begin!?_ " She heard Professor Port say just outside.

Ruby had a look of worry.

" _I have to find a way out! I have to save Penny!_ "

* * *

Penny and Pyrrha had gotten themselves ready, just as Oobleck began the countdown.

" _3… 2… 1…_ _ **BEGIN!**_ "

Penny had been the first to make a move.

With strings attached, a few of her many blades came out of her bag, and formed a circle. She soon set them flying towards Pyrrha, with put a wave of her hand.

Pyrrha quickly retaliated as she jumped through the gap of her swords, and blocking a couple of others with her shield when they came flying towards her.

She started to run towards Penny, despite the fact that a couple of swords that she had knocked down, started to follow behind her.

* * *

Ruby and Mercury heard the sounds of blades clashing with one another, and at this, her eyes widened.

"Oh no…"

"Showtime." She heard Mercury say.

Ruby attempted to run as to get away from Mercury, though he kept following her despite the fact that she had changed her direction.

" _ **SCREW IT!**_ "

Ruby activated her semblance and started to fly as an attempt to get passed Mercury, however he proved to be quicker than she. He managed to knock her down with a kick, causing her to fly back.

She soon took out her scroll from her skirt pocket as to call for help; She jumped when it had been shot of her hand, breaking it.

"Let's just keep this between us friends." Mercury said tauntingly.

He charged at Ruby and started to kick at her. Though she may have not been good when it came to close quick, this time she proved to be quicker as he started to throw his kicks at her.

The very minute she saw an opening, she took it, as she activated her semblance again; this time she had been successful. She practically bounced off the wall, and back onto the floor as she started to run.

" _Hold on Penny! I'm coming!_ "

* * *

" _My word! What a tremendous display by Miss Poledina!_ "

The pattern had kept on going on between the two. Everytime they would attack each other, they would prove to be too quick and block one another. It helped with Penny that she had more to work with thanks to her swords, as she had finally been able to push Pyrrha back; though she soon distance herself as she thought of a perfect counter measure.

With her sword and shield armed, and after she had recovered, she started to make her way towards. As the swords came flying at her, she jumped on top of them, before doing the same with another as to get closer to her.

Ren and Nora cheered for there teammate, while Jaune and Destiny watched the fight closely, not saying anything.

" **GO PYRRHA!** " Nora cheered.

Destiny watched as her friend fought and fought, though as she did a strange feeling seemed to have come over her. She heard the sound that of a bell, as her head began to feel fuzzy. Not to mention that she started to feel nauseous. She slumped over as she let out a groan, getting Jaune's attention since he had sat next to her.

"Destiny?" He said putting both of his hands on her small shoulders, "What's wrong?"

"I… Don't feel so good…" Destiny said as Jaune helped her to sit up properly. It hadn't been long before a thought came over the child.

" _This feeling… It's different from before. It feels… More intense… It can't happen again… Not again._ "

Pyrrha had been sent flying nearly off of the stage, as she managed to stop herself. As she stood up once more, she looked to her hands as she could've sworn something had changed. Her sword and shield seemed to bend out of shape. The moment she blinked, she saw that it had been back to normal.

"What in the…?"

The train of thought soon left her, as Penny came flying towards her. She sent two of her blades flying at her, and Pyrrha was quick to knock them down. Though she had little time to react when Penny attacked her head on again. She used her swords to attack her on all sides, at one point she managed to get her in the air again. Though as she landed on the ground once more, she tossed her sword at her, causing Penny to jump back again.

Pyrrha went to retrieve her sword, but for a moment the scene around her changed again. She could've sworn she found herself back in the land of red, as it had been covered in a thick layer of fog. Once more when she blinked, she found herself back into reality; she felt dizzy again.

Penny came charging at her once more; with the help of her swords, she jumped high into the air and kicked Pyrrha, pushing her back with mere force. Pyrrha had been quick to recover, as she went to take the shot, her weapon was knocked out of her hand as well as her shield.

As she was about use her semblance to get it back, Penny stopped her from doing do; as this time she had been able to knock her shield out of her hand. Penny prepared to finish the fight, though as she did, Pyrrha had a more fearful look on her face.

The ringing bell seemed to have gotten more intense for Destiny as she started to groan in agony, this time drawing the attention of Ren and Nora.

"Dessie!?" Nora exclaimed, "What's wrong!?"

"Are you okay?" Ren asked.

Destiny didn't reply as she didn't seemed to have heard their voices. As she picked up her head, her eye changed to white as the right of side of the butterfly appeared on her forehead.

"What's happen-"

Destiny let out a gasp as she saw before her very eyes most of her vision had been covered with red as she looked to be on the stage where Pyrrha had been standing. She could've sworn she saw Penny bearing at least a million swords; the minute insignia disappeared, and her eye changed back to green, she saw that she was back at the seats, and with Jaune and the others.

She saw that Penny only had five swords out, and Pyrrha staggering.

At this, she was quick to put together what she just saw.

As Penny launched her attack, she saw Pyrrha activate her semblance.

" **PYRA! WAIT!** " She yelled catching Jaune, Ren and Nora by surprise.

But it had been too late.

Pyrrha sent them flying back in Penny's direction, only to see the reality of it all. The strings attached to each of her swords, wrapped around her body and started to tighten. They wrapped around her torso and both of her arms, causing Penny to be pulled back.

In a matter of seconds, Penny broke apart, causing the crowd to gasp and for Pyrrha to watch in horror by her actions. The swords seemed to have fallen to the ground as one of the blades ripped apart a piece of her clothing. Her eyes had become dilated as sparks flew out of her body as she had finally been no more.

Everyone had been put into shock, while Destiny shook her head in disbelief; tears started to form.

"No… No… No…" She said as she sobbed, "No…"

Voices began to overlap in her head causing her to freeze.

" _ **The fear… The grief…**_ "

" _ **It hurts… It all hurts…**_ "

" _ **Kill… Kill…**_ "

" _ **KILL THEM ALL…**_ "

"No…" The child said with a whisper.

Ruby ran straight out the door, and was about to make her way to the stands, but stopped when she saw what had been on all the screens.

She looked horrified as she fell to her knees, with her body shaking.

Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Penny…"

Finally she began to weep.

From where Oobleck and Port were they were just as horrified as the audience. Though they had bigger problems to worry about at the moment.

"Broadcast, what are you doing!?" Oobleck said over coms, "Kill the feed!"

" _Somethings wrong!_ " They told him, " _We don't have control over them!_ "

"How is that possible!?" Port exclaimed.

Just than they heard the sound of static; the screens switched from the stage to red as a black pawn appeared.

Finally, a woman's voice came over the feed.

* * *

 _ **This is not a tragedy.**_

 _ **This was not an accident.**_

* * *

Destiny now had a look of fear on her face when she recognized the woman's voice. Her small body shook as tears still formed.

"No! No!" She said as she grasped her head, in an effort to get the voices to stop.

"What's wrong?" Jaune asked her.

"I-I-It's her!" Destiny replied as her voice shook, "That's the woman who talked to our dad, before we were taken!"

The three of them looked to each other in shock.

"But it can't be…" Nora said.

The woman continued on.

* * *

 _ **This is what happens when you hand over your trust…**_

 _ **Your safety…**_

 _ **Your children…**_

 _ **To men who claim to be their guardians.**_

 _ **But are in reality, nothing more than men.**_

 _ **Our Academies' headmasters wield more power than most of our armies, and one was audacious enough to control both,**_

* * *

Ironwood sat in one of the seats, gritted his teeth at the announcement. He stood up and proceeded to go where Oobleck and Port had been.

* * *

 _ **They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here?**_

 _ **One's nation attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by a star pupil.**_

 _ **What would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as a little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference.**_

 _ **And what I ask, is Ozpin teaching his students?**_

 _ **First a dismemberment and now this?**_

 _ **Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy. Yet I have witnessed neither.**_

* * *

Weiss, Blake and Cristal sat at one of the stands at the fairgrounds listening to the broadcast. Cristal's body shook with anger, while Weiss and Blake looked with disbelief.

Cristal couldn't help but let out a small growl.

"It's that woman…" Weiss and Blake heard Cristal say, "... She's the one that stole us away."

"But… That's Cinder…" Weiss said surprised.

Cristal had did a double take at this, "You actually know her!?"

"Yeah." Blake replied, "But why is she-?"

* * *

 _ **Perhaps Ozpin thought defeating Atlas in the tournament would help forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets.**_

 _ **Or perhaps this was a message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces.**_

 _ **Honestly… I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right or who is wrong. But what I do know is that existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves.**_

 _ **As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you that the situation there is… Equally undesirable.**_

 _ **Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we the citizens are left in the dark.**_

* * *

Two Atlas soldiers stood just outside the city, listening to the broadcast via scroll. Though their attention was drawn to the forest. They were taken back when they saw that practically an army of Grimm appeared from the forest.

* * *

 _ **So… I ask you…**_

 _ **When the first shots are fired…**_

 _ **Who do you think you can trust?**_

* * *

The broadcast came to an end, from all around the city and all around the coliseum, there was nothing but static. After this Oobleck went to call for help, but had gotten nothing.

"The radio's are all jammed!" Oobleck said, "We can't get a signal out!"

"Will someone please tell me what's happening!" Port said.

They soon got their answer when they heard the alarm go off.

" _ **ALERT. INCOMING GRIMM ATTACK. THREAT LEVEL 9. PLEASE SEEK SHELTER IN A CALM AND ORDERLY MATTER.**_ "

At this, the whole crowd began to scream and panic. They started to run as fast as they could, not caring who was in the way or who they pushed. Ironwood's voice was soon heard over the speakers.

" _Ladies and gentlemen please! There's no need to panic!_ "

Just as this was said a Nevermore landed on top of the shield and started to claw and peck, trying to break into the frantic crowd below. It let out a tremendous screech causing everyone to scream.

"A Nevermore?!" Sun exclaimed.

"How did it get past the kingdoms defenses?!" Coco shouted.

"It wasn't alone…" Ren added as he stood.

Destiny's body shook as Nora held onto her. Tears had been threatening to fall as the voices from the Grimm became more intense.

"Daddy…" She sobbed as her face was buried into Nora's chest, "... Daddy…"

* * *

- _ **Headmaster's Office**_ -

Ozpin watched as more and more Grimm flew into the city and towards the coliseum. Qrow and Glynda entered his office.

"Oz!" Qrow said getting his attention.

"Get to the city!" He said to the two of them.

"But-!"

"Now!"

Glynda and Qrow looked to one another before they went out of the office and hurried towards Vale.

* * *

- _ **Coliseum**_ -

The Nevermore continued to try and break into the shield. Ironwood watched helplessly as more and more Grimm seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. His scroll rang and saw that Ozpin was calling him; he immediately took the call.

"Ozpin!" He said, "The girl-I can explain-!"

Ozpin soon stopped him as he said only one thing over the scroll.

" _You bought your army to my Kingdom James._ _ **Use it.**_ "

* * *

- _ **Atlas Ship; Blue Four**_ -

Several Nevermores flew to the ships above, and a couple landed on top of the ships and started to attack. Though the shields held out, the crew didn't know for how long.

"Damn it!" The Captain said before going to his scroll, "This is Blue Four! Blues Two and Three fall into defensive position!"

" _Roger!_ " His comrade said, " _Blue Three in position!_ "

The Captain on Blue Four, realized that he didn't get a response from Blue Two.

"Blue Two!" He said, "Blue Two, what's your status?!"

* * *

- _ **Blue Two**_ -

" _ **Blue Two! Blue Two come in! Damn it! Someone answer me!**_ "

Little did anyone know, the whole crew of the ship were all dead. Only but one person had remained standing, and that was a certain girl with brown and pink hair that swirled just like that of ice cream. Neo walked to where the cells were, with a parasol in one hand and a cane and hat in the other. She opened one of the cell doors, spinning the hat with the cane.

"Well… It's about time."

On the outside, the ship started to face the others; it had begun to open fire onto the others, causing them to crash into each other.

" _We're hit! What's going-!_ "

 _ **BOOM!**_

Each of the ships had been knocked out of the air, and crashing to the landscape below. Roman let out a laugh as he witnessed the destruction.

"Oh, it's so good to be back!" Roman said as he started to steer the ship.

* * *

- _ **Beacon Ship Docking**_ -

Ships began to appear at the docking area. The ships opened and it was revealed to be the White Fang, with Adam being among them. Adam lead them as he and the group jumped out of the ships.

"Bring them to their knees!" He had told them.

As the White Fang went to work the other ships opened and it was revealed to be different types of Grimm.

The Ursa among the army of Grimm, let out a roar, echoing throughout the night.

( _ **Second Ending Theme: Rokka No Yuusha Ending 3-Nameless Heart Performed By Aoi Yuuk**_ i)


	12. Chapter 11: Let Chaos Reign

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

Everyone ran through the fairgrounds as the Grimm attacked the stands and the people occupying it. They ran for their lives avoiding being eaten and struck down. Blake, Cristal and Weiss stood in the middle of it all and couldn't believe the destruction in a matter of minutes. Cristal felt the voices of the Grimm overlapping in her head as she grasped her head.

"I don't believe this…" Weiss said.

Cristal let out a groan as she was about to collapse; Though Weiss prevented her from hitting the ground.

"They're crying out…" She said softly as Weiss felt her body shake, "They're in pain… They all are… They won't stop, until everyone is dead… They want to kill every single one…"

Blake soon heard her scroll ring; she removed it from her pocket as she saw who it had been.

"Yang, are you okay?" Blake asked with concern.

* * *

- _ **Dormitories**_ -

Yang quickly ran down the halls with Zwei close behind. She was currently talking to her partner via scroll.

"I'm fine!" She said as an answer to her question, "Are Ruby, Cristal and Destiny with you? Ruby's not answering her scroll!"

" _We're with Cristal._ " Blake had replied, " _But Ruby and Destiny aren't._ "

Yang soon stopped running as her face was soon written with concern. The only thing that was on her mind, her sister and that of a little girl. They both could be hurt or probably worse than that. Blake seemed to have read her mind.

" _Yang, I'm sure they're alright!_ " She told her, " _Ruby's our leader, she can take care of herself! She won't anything happen to Destiny either!_ "

Yang let out a sigh as she clenched her fist, "Alright."

She started to move out of the dorms again along with Zwei.

* * *

Blake looked over to Cristal as she still appeared to be in pain; her body had been visibly shaking as she let out a series of groans.

"This can't be happening…" Weiss said, as she still had been disbelief, "Penny…"

Blake's expression softened when she thought of Penny; she soon looked over to Cristal as she started to hit her own head.

"So many voices… It's too much… Just shut up… Shut up…!" She heard her say.

" _I'm heading to the docks near the courtyard!_ " She soon heard Yang say, " _The White Fang are releasing Grimm into the school!_ "

Blake's eyes widened in shock, while Cristal seemed to flinch at this. "The White Fang is here!?" Blake exclaimed. They heard static in Blake's scroll; the sound made both Weiss and Blake jump.

"Yang!" She yelled with worry.

Yang's voice had soon been heard, bringing relief to both of her teammates, " _I've gotta go! Stay safe! Keep Cristal safe too!_ " Thus she soon disconnected.

"Blake?" Weiss said getting her attention, "What are we going to do?"

Once more, she glanced over at Cristal, as she had been giving out labored breaths, hitting her head as to get the voices to stop.

"We're going to do our job." Blake soon replied as she began to punch in numbers on her scroll. Soon after she finished, her locker came crashing into the ground, opening it revealing her weapon; Weiss seemed to understand, as she went to do the same.

"Cristal." Blake said, "Are you alright?"

"Ye-yeah." Cristal replied, "There's just so many Grimm in one area, it's overwhelming… I've never had so many voices in my head…"

Blake soon helped her to stand up, "Weiss and I are going to get you somewhere sa-"

"No!" Cristal said cutting her off, as she took her by surprise.

"Cristal, if these are the same people that took you and Destiny, than we have to-" Blake started to say.

" **I ALREADY TOLD YOU NO!** " Cristal shouted, "Since my mom was killed, I spent almost my entire life in hiding. I know dad was doing it to keep us safe, but for so long I wanted to do something, at least find the person that killed her! I'm done hiding! If I'm going to be captured, or die on this night… I want to at least go down fighting protecting my home, its people… And my family."

Weiss had soon approached the two of them after she had gotten her weapon, "Are you sure? You can hardly stand up."

Cristal gave a smirk as she managed to steady herself, "I'll be able to manage just fine. After all… Huntresses have dealt with worse, right?"

Blake and Weiss looked at one another, as they had still been unsure of her decision, but they eventually gave her a smile as they looked back to her.

"If you're going to fight..." Blake said as she armed herself, "... Than you're going to need a weapon."

"That's kind of you…" Cristal said to them with a smile, "But…"

Her eye changed to gold, as the insignia appeared on her forehead; the insignia of a butterfly particular it's right wing appeared.

"I've got myself covered."

* * *

- _ **Coliseum**_ -

Pyrrha stood in the middle of the stage just paralyzed with fear by what she had done. She took away an innocent life. She just commited murder. She had been no better than the other murders and thieves that had been wondering about the world of Remnant.

Nothing around her couldn't get through to her, only the event that had just occurred. She didn't even take the time to realize that Destiny and Jaune had been calling out to her.

" **PYRA!** " Destiny called out, " **YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THERE!** "

" **PYRRHA!** " Jaune shouted, " **THAT THING IS GOING TO BREAK IN! YOU HAVE TO MOVE!** "

The Nevermore let out a screech as it continued to peck at the shield. Despite the overlapping voice that had been going on through her head, Destiny tried to think of a solution.

" _Why won't she move?!_ " She said in her thoughts, " _The Nevermore is going to kill her if it gets in! I could try to talk to it but, it's too angry! It won't listen to me!_ " She let out a groan as she ran her hands through her hair; her expression looking more distressed.

" _I wish there was some way I can reach her in time!_ "

Just as she had this thought, the insignia of the butterfly appeared once more on her forehead, as her eye changed to white. Destiny, as well as Jaune, Nora, and Ren had been taken back when her body had been surrounded by what looked to be a white Aura.

"What's happening!?" Nora exclaimed.

"I don't know!" Destiny replied.

In a mere instant the child seemed to have vanished in a somewhat blinding light. Jaune, Nora and Ren started to look around.

"What in-!?" Jaune said as he looked around, "-She vanished?!"

"Where did she go?!" Ren soon asked.

They soon heard her let out a surprised scream before hitting the ground and turned to where they heard it; though where she had been took them by surprise. They saw Destiny had been on the stage where Pyrrha had been; her eye had changed back to its natural color and the insignia disappeared as she got up from the floor.

"How did she get all the way over there!?" Nora exclaimed as she just looked shocked.

"I'm not sure!" Ren said, before he shouted in her direction, "Destiny! It's not safe there! You have to come back!"

Destiny stumbled slightly as she stood on her feet; she was just baffled as they were that she managed to get to the stage so fast. Though questions like that could come later; despite Ren and Nora telling her different, Destiny ran towards Pyrrha, and took her hand. She started to pull on her arm, with the strength she had.

"Pyra, come on!" She said, trying to get her to move, "We have to get out of here!"

No matter how much she tugged, Pyrrha wouldn't move an inch, or even a centimeter. She still had a horrified look as her eyes were on, what had been left of Penny. Jaune saw the Nevermore move off the barrier before flying high into the sky; without even thinking, he jumped over and to the ground below.

" **JAUNE!** " Nora shouted, " **WAIT!** "

Once he landed on the ground, he sprinted towards the two of them.

" **PYRRHA PLEASE!** " He pleaded, " **SNAP OUT OF IT!** "

The Nevermore soon dived bombed towards the coliseum; in an instant it had broken the shield. The impact on the ground, created a tremendous gust of wind, causing Pyrrha, Destiny and Jaune to fly back and hit the ground hard; despite this, Destiny still held onto Pyrrha's hand.

As Pyrrha recovered, as she seemed to have snapped out of her trance, she flinched when the Nevermore roared. It looked as though it had been about to charge; She finally took notice of the child beside her and put her arms around her in a protective manner just as the Nevermore moved towards them aggressively.

It hadn't been long before it had been pushed back suddenly, by something that left behind a trail of rose petals.

It was Ruby.

Ruby used her semblance to jump back, landing in front of Pyrrha and Destiny; they saw that she had been wielding one of Penny's swords.

"Ruby?" Pyrrha said surprised.

"Ruby!" Destiny said relieved as her expression brightened.

" **LEAVE THEM ALONE!** " Ruby shouted to the Nevermore as she held the sword in front of her.

The Nevermore soon took to the skies once more, as it went to attack; Ruby stood her ground as she was ready to attack the beast.

 _ **SLAM!**_

 _ **BAM!**_

The Nevermore came crashing to the ground as dozens of lockers flew onto it's back; sliding to a halt and taking the three of them back. All of them that jumped on top of the Nevermore had been familiar faces; Friends and previous opponents alike.

There had been team SSSN as well as team CFVY and the rest of team JNPR. There had also been team ARBN with the names, Arsain, Reese, Bolin and Nadir as well two members from team FNKI with the names Flynt and Neon. The Nevermore soon began to move, causing each of them to take action. They each started move off of the Grimm and started to attack with.

Ren attacked it's eye after he had gotten close enough.

Arsain swung from it's neck and took hold of Yatsuhashi, helping him into the air. Another team member named Sage jumped high in the air. Nora ran along the Nevermore's back and swung her hammer to hit the beast right in its face. Arsain threw Yatsuhashi towards the Nevermore; him and Sage sliced the head in one swung; it's body soon started to evaporate into dust.

Destiny ran over to Ruby and gave her a hug; Ruby hugged her back.

"I'm so happy you're okay!" Destiny said.

"I should be the one saying that to you." Ruby said as she pushed herself out of the hug.

She soon turned to Ruby as her eyes had been welled up with tears.

"Ruby… I…" Pyrrha choked. She glanced over to what remained of Penny; as she had been on the other side of the stage due to the wind. "I'm so sorry!" She said tearfully as she turned back to Ruby.

"Pyra…" Destiny said with worry; she looked up to Ruby as she was worried that she had been angry with her for what had happened to Penny.

"... Me too." Ruby soon said, surprising Pyrrha and Destiny, "But it wasn't your fault."

"She's right." Jaune soon said; he approached her after retrieving her weapons, "Cinder, the one responsible for taking Destiny and Cristal. She's the one that did this." He held her sword and shield to her, "We just have to make sure that she doesn't hurt anyone else."

Pyrrha stood up and wiped away her tears. She gave a nod before she took her shield and weapon. It hadn't been long before the whole group noticed what had been above when they heard a roar. They saw that it had been more creatures of Grimm, in the form of griffons at the very top, ready to pounce at them.

"Griffons." Ren said arming himself.

"Anybody have a plan of attack?" Neptune asked as he armed himself as well.

"Sun!" Ruby said, "I need your scroll."

Sun nodded and tossed his scroll towards her with the help of his tail. She caught it with ease and with a push of a button her locker soon came crashing down. Ruby ran towards it but soon stopped in her tracks when a Griffon landed on top of it and looked like it had been ready to attack.

"No! Don't!" Destiny soon yelled as she ran in front of Ruby, before the group could act. She removed her eyepatch revealing her eye to the beast.

"Please. Don't hurt her." She said softly.

Excluding JNPR, everyone had been left shocked when they saw the Griffon back down, like it had been listening to her. The Griffon soon flew away in alarm when it had been shot at; at this the child put her eyepatch back in its place. They turned and saw the shots had come from Professor Port.

"Students." He said, "I think it would best for you to leave."

"But we can-" Ruby said before getting cut off by Oobleck.

"Miss Rose." He said, "This day will surely go down in Remnant's history. I'd prefer it… If my students could live to tell about it."

Ruby took in his words before she gave a nod. She took her Crescent Rose in hand, and armed it so that it had been in scythe mode. "Let's go!" Ruby said to the group.

Thus they moved their way towards where the ships had been; Velvet took a picture of Ruby in her stance, before Coco called out her name.

"Destiny." She said to the child before holding her hand out to her, "Shall we?"

"Of course." Destiny said with a nod. With hand in hand they started to follow the rest of the group out to the docking area.

Port gave a laugh as the Grimm circled around them, " **ONE FINAL BET BARTY! PLACE YOUR BETS!** "

The Griffons charged at them and they in turn, charged at the Grimm.

The group managed to make it outside where the ships were taking as many students and citizens outside to the safer location. They saw Ironwood about to get on one of the ships, and they managed to catch him before he could.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked Ironwood.

Ironwood turned to the group but was taken back slightly when he noticed Destiny. She didn't hide behind her like she did before, though she took a step back. He took his off of her before he started to explain the situation.

"Grimm are crawling all over the city. The White Fang has invaded Beacon and to make matters worse some-Vagabond has seized one of my ships. Until we regain command, the skies are out of our control. So I'm-"

 _ **BANG!**_

The group jumped when Ironwood fired a shot; turns out a Grimm had tried to attack them from behind.

"-Going to take it back." Ironwood had finished.

"What can we do?" Jaune soon asked before he could board the ship.

Ironwood turned back to the group before he replied, "You have two choices to make. Defend your Kingdom and your school… Or save yourselves."

Everyone looked to each other as they had been unsure.

"No one will fault you if you leave." Ironwood told them, before he turned to his men, "Let's move out!"

The minute he boarded the ship left the docking area. Everyone still looked unsure of what they should do. Finally Sun spoke up, "I mean come on, how hard can it be?"

"We can take a ship back to Beacon!" Jaune soon said.

The group to get on one of the nearby ships. Ruby still held onto Destiny as she lead her; though it hadn't been long before she heard the voices grow louder in her head. She let out a small scream before she fell to her knees, almost dragging Ruby with her.

"Destiny!" Ruby exclaimed, as she caught her before she could hit the floor, "Destiny, what's wrong!?"

JNPR soon noticed this as they rushed to the child's aid. The child couldn't hear their voices, as the voices seemed to have overlapped in her head. She tried her best to block them out, though no matter how hard she tried the voices kept coming and coming. That was until-

* * *

" _ **iT hURts… iT aLl hURts…**_ "

 _Her vision became clear, but she found herself in different area. She found herself standing on top of something; looking over a ruined city. The eyes of Grimm surrounded her as they appeared to be gathered for something._

" _Where… Where am I…?"_

" _ **iT hURts… iT hURts…**_ "

 _Destiny seemed to freeze up as she heard the voice just below her. When she looked, she saw what looked to be an eye that glowed dimly within the ground. She jumped at this as she let out a scream as she moved from the eye, nearlying tripping on herself._

" _ **iT hURts… iT hURts…**_ "

 _Destiny looked to the eye as her expression softened. Though that feeling soon fled as she found herself standing in a place that was filled with nothing but red. She tripped and fell backwards with a splash; she found herself in a pool of black liquid which she found to be odd. An insignia of a red eye appeared on the floor and mands with large white talons emerged._

 _Before Destiny could run, the hands grabbed a hold of her and started to drag her down. She struggled to get free though it proved to be useless as it dragged her further into the ground. The black water surrounded her body, to the point where she had been choking on it. She could've sworn she found herself getting swallowed by a large creature when the hands vanished._

" _Kill… Kill…_ _ **KILL THEM ALL…**_ "

* * *

"Destiny! Are you okay?"

The child's eyes shot wide open as she found herself in Ruby's arms; JNPR had been looking over her shoulder. They saw her expression as it had been fearful as she looked to where the Grimm had been flying from.

"What's wrong?" Jaune asked, "What are you looking at?"

"The mountain…" Destiny said, "... In the ruined city… It's going to come here…"

The group looked confused by this.

"What?" Ruby asked, "What's going to come here?"

The child turned to Ruby while she replied, "... Something big. Something bigger than the other Grimm you've seen…" The child stood up as she looked back to the horizon, "... If it comes here… It'll be the end…" For a moment the little one looked to her hands; they were shaking as at a certain thought on her mind.

"I have to go." She suddenly said, surprising them.

The five of them looked surprised at this.

"Go where?" Ren asked.

"To the mountain." Destiny clarified, "Before it comes here."

"But it's dangerous!" Pyrrha tried to reason, "You could get hurt!"

"I know!" The child said, "But I'm the only capable of stopping it. If I can calm it like the Ursa, than it'll stay asleep, long enough for the rest of you to drive out the rest of the Grimm."

The five looked concerned about this. "But…" Ruby said, "... If it's as big as you say… Can you really calm it?"

Destiny looked to her feet as she played with her head a bit. "I don't know…" The child said, "... But I'm going to try anyway."

"... But…" Jaune started to say, "... But what about your dad? And Cristal? Don't you want to be with them?"

"Cristal is probably doing her best to help out however she can too." Destiny had reasoned, "... And… As much as my dad means to me, to us… My home, and the lives here at Beacon come first. Besides… This is my way of repaying you guys."

This time they looked confused.

"I mentioned it to you before, didn't I?" Destiny started to say, "I don't really have a lot of friends. Whenever dad or Cristal or even big sister took me to the park to play, they didn't want anything to do with me. They all thought I was different, and strange. I didn't really have anyone else outside of them, not even Cristal for that matter. No one understood me. But… Not you. Any of you. Even when Cristal and I told you about our dad, my eye… You didn't hate us, or dad for what he was doing. You accepted it all. And that made me really happy."

At that point, Destiny began to tear up by her own words. She continued as she started to choke through her sobs, "The three weeks, you looked after us… They were the best weeks we could have ever hoped for. For the first time in a long time… I had fun. The best part is… Despite my condition… You didn't treat me like I was some broken kid… You treated me as if there was nothing wrong with me; you treated me like I was normal."

She wiped away her tears as her expression changed once more, "So please… Let me do this for you. I want to be able to play my part, and repay you for what you've done, and this is the only way I know how."

The five looked to one another once more, before they turned back to the child before them.

"Are you sure, you don't any of us to go with you?" Ren asked, "Or at least, get your sister?"

Destiny shook her head, "I may not be strong when it comes to my magic, but… That doesn't mean I can be useful. I'll be just fine." She soon turned to Ruby, "Will you do me… At least two favors for me?"

"Of course." Ruby replied, "What is it?"

Destiny soon handed her the corgi she had won earlier that day, "When you find Yang, give her this to her for me. Tell her I'm sorry I couldn't give it to her in person."

Ruby gave a nod as she took the little plushie from her before she attached it to her belt. "What else do you want me to do?"

Destiny soon looked to the only ship that had been up in the sky, "When you get to him… You'll convince my dad to help. Tell him everything about what happened, and I'm sure he'll go against the lady called Cinder."

Ruby's eyes widened as she looked uncertain about this, "But.. Roman-What if he doesn't believe me?"

"Than you'll make him believe you." She said.

She removed her bag off of her back before she started to rummage through the small pockets. She took out the pictures within as she handed them off to her. This had taken Ruby by surprise.

"Are-Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"Yes." The child said, "My dad put all photos of my mom away after we came here to Vale. These pictures, are the good times I remember of him, and… It's the only picture I have of mom. Take them for me Ruby."

Ruby had been hesitant but had taken the pictures from the child's hand, making sure it wouldn't slip out of her skirt pocket. Though it didn't take long for Jaune to realize something.

"Hold on a second!" He said, "How are you going to get to the mountain from here? If it really is going to come here, than you're not going to have a lot of time!"

Destiny gave a smile, "Don't worry. I'll have help."

At first they heard confused until Destiny put her fingers to her lips and gave a whistle. In mere moments, a creature of Grimm, more specifically a Griffon flew down, landing right in front of them. Once it let out a screech, Destiny removed her eyepatch. The Griffon calmed down only a little but let out another screech; until she put her hand on its beak.

"I know you're in pain." Destiny said, "Don't worry, I'll help you first, but you have to help me in return."

Just like that, the insignia appeared on her forehead once more as their had been a white light glowing between them. The Grimm's eyes changed to white itself; though surprisingly enough it stayed to that color. The lines on it's mask changed to white as well, and it seemed to be more docile.

"I need you to take me to the mountain in the ruin city." Destiny said to the Griffon, "Will you do this for me?"

The Griffon understood her words as it turned itself around; it laid flat on its stomach to allow her to climb on. She soon tried her best to get herself onto it's back, but was having difficulty; luckily Ruby had been quick to help as the child put her leg over its body. It soon stood up on all fours and stretched its wings. Before it could take flight-

"Wait!" Ruby said stopping them from taking off, "I think it's your turn to make a promise now." Destiny gave a quizzical look at this.

Ruby soon gave a smile, "Promise us you'll come back. Not just for us… But for your sister and dad too."

The child's eyes widened at this, before JNPR stepped forward. "Come back no matter what, okay?" Jaune said to her.

"We'll be here defending this place, for as long as we can." Ren said, "Though you'll want to be here when the dust settles."

"Because you'll want to be here for the celebration!" Nora added.

Pyrrha placed her hand on top of the child's, "Out of all of us here, you're one of the bravest we've ever come to known. Your dad, will be so proud of you." "

Destiny couldn't help but smile; her eyes filled with tears once more. "You guys really are the best friends anyone could ever have." She said as she wiped them away. The Griffon soon began to move once she gave the animal a tap on the back, as Destiny's hand slipped away from theirs.

"I'll come back!" She called out as it made its way towards the ledge, "I promise!"

The Griffon had spread its wings and jumped off and took to the skies, eventually they both disappeared from their sight.

"I know you will." Ruby said softly.

"Okay!" Sun soon said, "I'm officially lost! Did Blake's cousin just pet a Grimm without her hand getting bitten off!?"

Ruby and JNPR turned over to the group, "We'll explain later!" She told him, "Let's just focus on getting to Beacon!"

* * *

- _ **Atlas Blue Two**_ -

Roman had been looking around the command hub, as he had been messing around with every button he could find, since he never piloted a ship from Atlas, let alone one of this size. Though deep in his thoughts he knew, he wasn't just there to get payback from the kingdom, for not being there when his town had been practically slaughtered, he had been there for the sake of the only things he had left.

His two daughters, Cristal and Destiny.

Since the death of his one and only love, his two daughters had been the only thing left for him, in a world filled with nothing but pain and misery. If anything were to happen to them, either of them… If they had been permanently erased… He would never forgive himself, and lost his will to live. All of this had been for their sake; sure he didn't really like it, but he had to do it, in order to keep them safe.

That's what parents do, right?

Protect their children, no matter the cost.

"Hmm… Let's see." Roman said, approaching the console, "What does this one do?"

He pressed the first button he saw and a loud sound had been heard outside as the ship shook.

"Oo! Fun!" He couldn't help but say gleefully. He turned back to the controls, "Alright, let's see about this one!"

He pressed a button and put a hand to his ear, as he listened for a sound. He didn't hear anything, though didn't notice the Atlesian Knights falling from the sky.

"Okay, that apparently does nothing."

Neo soon approached him, giving him a black colored scroll.

"It's done?" Roman said as he went to take it from her, "Good."

Roman went to pull it from her hand, though Neo tightened her grip on the scroll slightly. He noticed that she had been giving him a look.

He sighed, "You know why we have to do this Neo. This is the only way they'll stay alive. You know how powerful Cinder's friends are. If I don't do this…"

Neo's expression softened though she still had her concerns; eventually she let go and allowed Roman to take the scroll from her. He soon put it into the slot provided as a pawn symbol appeared.

"This one…" He said, "... _**This one is going to be fun.**_ "

* * *

- _ **City of Vale**_ -

The Atlesian Knights fired upon the oncoming Grimm. Not too far behind them, Glynda and Qrow fought against the beowolves and other creatures coming their way. They soon turned to the Atlesian Knights when they saw they had stopped in their tracks. They soon turned to them with their faces lit up with red.

" **WHAT!?** " Glynda exclaimed.

The two of them took cover when the knights started to fire upon them.

* * *

- _ **Beacon; Courtyard**_ -

Blake, Weiss and Cristal ran on the stone pathway provided, helping out anyone they saw on their way. In the distance they soon saw six of the Atlesian Knights firing onto the Grimm. Though for a moment they saw them slouch over.

"What the…?" Weiss said.

The Knights soon turned over to them, with their screens red.

" **GET BEHIND ME! NOW!** " Cristal soon yelled as she saw them aim their guns towards them.

Weiss and Blake moved fast; Cristal put both of her hands in front of her. Her gold eye glowed slightly as what looked to be a white transparent wall about her size appear in front of them. The bullets ended up getting deflected off of it; small cracks appeared with every hit.

"Damn! I guess I'm more rusty at this than I thought…!" Cristal couldn't help but say with a smile, "... But like I'm gonna let you bastards stop me!"

She retracted her other hand, and a beam of light appeared. With a thrust of her hand a beam shot out, knocking off of their hands and deactivating in an instant. They all fell on the ground as Cristal deactivated her magic. She nearly fell on her knees as she caught her breath.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked as she went over to her.

"Oh yeah, I'm totally fine." Cristal replied as she breathed; her eye changing from red to gold when she blinked, "One trick I can handle… But two is kind of a stretch for me..."

"Blake!" Weiss soon said as she armed herself.

They soon found themselves surrounded by the Atlesian Knights as their screens had still been red. Weiss and Blake both stood in front of Cristal as they prepared themselves for what had been to come.

* * *

Destiny held on tight as the Griffon flew as fast as it's wings could carry. Destiny didn't realize that a ship had been tailing them. She only realized that it had been there when it had flown beside her. The doors opened she jumped when she saw a man on the ground, as he hadn't been moving.

The Knight on the ship armed it's weapon.

" **QUICK FLY DO-!** "

But it was too late.

The Knight fired it's weapon as it had hit the griffon's wing causing it to let out a screech.

They found themselves crashing down to the trees near the top of the mountain.

* * *

Ironwood drove straight towards his ship, prepared to take it back with a fight. What he had failed to notice was that the Atlesian Knights screen turned red, with a pawn symbol appearing in the middle. They turned and aimed their guns at him, which only than he had taken notice.

Though he had little time to react.

" **NO!** "

From another ship, where Ruby and the others had been on, they saw an explosion on the very same ship that Ironwood had boarded earlier before it crash landed to the city nearby; it left them all in shock.

Originally, she had planned to go find a ship to get to where Roman had been, after she helped out with protecting Beacon. But honestly… She couldn't wait. Acting fast, she headed towards back at the ship, despite her friends telling her otherwise.

She opened the back way and jumped off so that she had been free falling. She quickly used her semblance to get back onto the coliseum platform. She ran back towards the stage where all the lockers had been and ran to the nearest one, before typing in the six digit code. Unsheathing her scythe she latched onto the locker as the rockets became activate.

It flew straight towards the very same ship that Roman had been on, as Ruby held on tight. Just as the rockets deactivated Ruby leaped off, landing safely on the ground.

Inside, Roman and Neo felt the ship shake a bit as something had hit the ship.

Roman let out a growl, "Go see what that is."

With a nod, Neo proceeded to head outside. He cracked his neck as he looked to the screen, "I've too far now… I can't let anything stand in my way."

* * *

- _ **Mountain Glenn**_ -

" **...** _ **Mommy? What are we doing today?**_ "

" _ **Whatever you like.**_ "

Destiny felt she had been pressing against something soft as she opened her eyes. When her vision cleared up, she felt something nuzzle her check. Turns out it had been the Griffon, as she had been laying against its body.

"You protected me from the fall?" She said as he let out some kind of a pur. She smiled as she gave it a pat on the beak, "Thank you." It hadn't been long before it let out a slight cry of agony; as Destiny looked over the Grimm she saw a sharp shrapnel of wood had been stuck in its leg, when it had tried to move it.

"Oh no! You're hurt!"

She crawled over to its leg and reached for the shrapnel, though she had been a bit hesitant as she looked to the Griffon when it let out a warning growl; though she knew it had been speaking to her.

"I know it hurts, but it'll get worse if it stays. I have to pull it out okay?"

The Griffon still growled though it stopped as it put its head onto the ground. Taking it as a sign, Destiny took hold of the shrapnel.

"Okay… On the count of three…"

Her grip tightened.

"One… Two… Three!"

She gave it a hard yank as she pulled out the shrapnel as quick as she could; the Griffon let out a howl from the intense pain as it stood kicking it's leg while doing so. The child landed on her back with a squeak, though that's when she noticed something off.

Her beg felt wet.

She scrambled onto her knees and brought her bag in front of her, looking inside. That's when she saw it, there had been a leak.

"My medicine…! It must've been damaged from the fall…"

The ground shook slightly making the Griffon and her jump; the voice in her head had gotten louder as she let out a groan.

"Time's running out…"

Destiny looked to the IV in her chest before looking to her bag. With the leak there, she knew it was only a matter of time before it was empty. Without the medicine she wouldn't be able to move as easily as she did, though if she stayed she would've come here for nothing.

"It's the only way…"

With a shaky breath, she reached for the IV tube gripping it tightly. She shut both of her eyes.

"One… Two… Three!"

She swiftly removed the needle from her chest, this time she let out a cry of agony as tears squeezed out of her eyes; she tossed the needle aside before she placed both of her hands on her chest to stop the bleeding, taking deep breaths as she did. She looked over to her brown bag, now darkened by the liquid inside.

"Cristal and dad… Will probably scold me later… But it'll be fine… This was my only choice…"

The Griffon limped over to her, and nudged it's head under her arms, letting out a squawk as it had been talking to her again. She gripped onto its and it helped her to stand; She couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you…"

Thus, the two began to make their way to the top of the mountain, leaving behind the bag

* * *

Weiss, Blake and Cristal found themselves engaging in different mobs of opponents. Not only did they have to deal with the Atlesian Knights, but the White Fang had come soon after they started to attack.

With the help of her glyphs, Weiss had been able to dismantle the knights.

With the help of her semblance, Blake took down the mob of White Fang with ease.

And with the help of her magic, Cristal had been able to bring them all to their knees.

The three of them jumped to one another as they stood back to back, and the Knights and White Fang charged at them. With a fierce war cry, they simultaneously attacked, pushing them all back; more of the Knights became dismantled while the White Fang had been knocked out.

Cristal gave a laugh as she caught her breath, " **COME ON YOU BASTARDS! I CAN DO THIS ALL NIGHT!** "

"Cristal!" Weiss said to her, "This is not the time for you to be on addredliane!"

"Oh come on, Ice Queen!" Cristal said, "Don't be such a killjoy!"

The ground shook slightly as they turned to the direction of Atlas Soldiers when they heard them cry out. They saw they were getting beaten down by an Atlas Paladin, as with but a wave, it hit them all away.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Cristal exclaimed.

"We gotta help them!" Blake said.

Weiss and Cristal gave a nod; just as they were about to run over to them, Cristal stopped as she looked in a certain direction. "What is-?!" Weiss started to say before she let out a gasp; Blake took notice of this as well, as her eyes widened.

They saw a ship about to crash; though at the last second, a beowolf which had been that of an Alpha jumped out. Once it landed it gave a roar, before it ran towards the cafeteria building.

The three of them looked to one another as they surveyed the situation, and they knew.

"Be safe." Weiss said to Blake, and she nodded to her. Weiss than turned to Cristal, "Let's go."

Cristal nodded to Weiss before she looked over to Blake, "If you die… I won't forgive you."

Blake smiled to Cristal before she nodded to her, "Same to you both."

Thus they split apart; With Weiss and Cristal running towards the Paladin, while Blake headed after the Alpha.

She managed to catch up to it as it had let out a roar, calling upon its pack. As Blake prepared to attack it, she heard a scream coming from within the now ruined building and she had been out into shock when she saw a familiar man kill an soldier from Atlas.

"No…" She said as her voice shook, "... Adam…?"

Adam looked over in her direction and smiled.

"Hello my darling."

* * *

Destiny and the Griffon made it to the top as the shaking had grown more violent. The Griffon helped her to the middle as she finally collapsed onto her knees.

"Thank you…" She told the Griffon as she pet its beak, "... I'll be fine here… Get somewhere safe until I'm, But… If something goes wrong… Fly away as far as you can from here… Find my sister when everything is calm…"

The Griffon let out a concerned noise to her.

"Don't worry…" She reassured the Griffon, "... You'll know when you see her… She'll take care of you… And make sure you're safe... " She pressed her forehead against the Griffon, "... Thank you for getting me this far… _**Senka**_ …"

The Griffon flinched at the name but gave her one last nuzzle on the cheek, before it had done what he had been told. She soon turned her attention to the task at hand, as she pressed both of her hands onto the ground.

She heard its voice.

" _ **KILL… KILL THEM ALL…**_ "

Destiny shook her head at this.

"You don't have to kill anyone…" She said with a gentle voice, "It's okay… The pain will be gone soon…"

Her eye changed to the color of white, as the insignia appeared as she started to concentrated her energy. A golden circle appeared around the area that surrounded her as the child looked to have grow a pair of small horns that looked to be that of branches; they looked to be transparent in the pale of the moonlight.

"Everything will be just fine…" She said, "... Just let go of the anger… Let go… And sleep…"

Destiny felt a headache come on, as her vision started to become blurry, though she kept herself awake, as she felt like she was going to pass out.

" _I'm so close… So close! Stay awake! You have to! Otherwise, everyone will-_ "

 _ **BANG!**_

Destiny felt something pierce her side as a loud sound followed. The transparent horns on her head faded into dust, as the insignia disappeared and her eye changed back to green. She looked down and saw blood had splattered right in front of her, and saw her shirt covered in her own blood on the side of her side. Her hands shook as she reached towards her newfound wound looking completely and utterly horrified.

"Wha… What…?"

She looked over to where she heard the sound come from as her body shook. She saw in the distance an Atlesian Knight stood there having fired it's rifle; only to be taken down seconds later by Senka as he had been angry.

With a cough, as she threw up blood, she fell forward onto the ground; a puddle of blood began to form beneath her body. Exhaustion began to take hold of her, as she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

"Da… Ddy… Cri… Stal… Every… One… _**I'm… Sorry…**_ "

The last thing she saw, before the world turned black, was a red light and arms emerging from the ground, taking hold of her before they pulled her into the Earth as it had shaken violently now.

* * *

- _ **Beacon**_ -

Cinder stood a top of one of the rooftops that had surrounded the Academy with Mercury and Emerald beside her. They watched as the students from Beacon and other academies fought against the Grimm and the Knights. She watched as they ran for their lives, and getting killed by either party, one after another.

And yet… She smiled.

"Beautiful." She said.

"It's…" Emerald said looking at the destruction, "... Almost sad."

"It's horrendous." Cinder had added, before she turned to Mercury, "Focus on the Atlesian Knights."

"Oh, I'm getting all of it!" Mercury said as he smirked.

"Good." She said, "Continue the broadcast until the end."

The three of them stumbled when the felt the Earth shake beneath them. At this Cinder's grin seemed to have grown wider as she turned to Mercury.

"And do not miss what happens next…"

* * *

- _ **Headmasters Office**_ -

Ozpin sat in his seat watching the destruction via cameras that had been placed all over the campus grounds and the news provided on the remaining stations. Everything had been a giant mess. The soldiers that still stood from Atlas had been getting overrun by Death Stalkers, citizens of Vale stood upon rooftops in a desperate attempt to avoid the Grimm.

He knew only one thing could be done.

He stood up and took his cane before he made his way out of his office.

Though he had been stopped momentarily when he felt the world shake.

* * *

The Earth trembled and quaked at what laid within the mountain.

The very surface began to crumble as arms seemed to have emerged from the side of the once great plain.

In mere seconds the mountain was gone, as a large Creature of Grimm had taken its place.

A Wyvern.

With a loud piercing roar it made its way towards Vale, with a flock of Griffon flying close behind it. Though as it flew over the city, a black substance fell from its body. When it hit the ground, it had created more and more Grimm, as they had taken place of where its brethren once stood, attacking anyone that had been nearby.

The Wyvern soon found its way to Beacon, as it had created more Grimm while it circled where most of the negativity had taken place, as more and more Grimm had been created. The group of students, with Weiss and Cristal standing with them, stood ready to fight as did JNPR.

Pyrrha on the other hand, saw Ozpin at the entrance of the Headmasters Building. One look from him and she knew, what he was asking. Her teammates had been taken back when they saw Pyrrha making her way towards him. Cristal noticed this as well as she ran to them.

"The hell?" She said as she did this, "What's she doing?"

"Where is she going?" Nora asked.

"I'll go find out!" Jaune replied as he ran after her, "Stay here and keep fighting!"

"Hey!" Cristal said as she ran after Jaune, "There's no way in hell you're leaving me out of this!"

Thus the two caught up with Pyrrha as she had followed Ozpin inside, little did they know, a woman with golden eyes, had been watching them from afar.

( _ **Second Ending Theme: Rokka No Yuusha Ending 3-Nameless Heart Performed By Aoi Yuuki**_ )


	13. Chapter 12: The Hero of the Story

- _ **A Few Days Earlier**_ -

 _Weiss had been spending the entire day with her elder sister Winter, as she had spent it mostly talking to her and catching up on a few things. Though Weiss had finally admitted to Winter that she was still having trouble with her summoning, despite the fact that her family's been able to perform it for as as long as anyone could remember. Weiss was now trying to practice the summoning as her sister stood behind her, as she had been watching closely._

" _Excellent form!" Winter praised, "Now think to your fallen foes! The ones that force you to push yourself past who you are, and become who you are now! Think of them, and watch as they come to your side!"_

 _Weiss kept on focusing and concentrating but she let out a groan of annoyance when she couldn't get it right. She stomped on the floor and the circle disappeared, "I can't!"_

 _She felt Winter hit her in the back of her head._

" _Stop doubting yourself!" Winter said._

" _But I'm trying!" Weiss replied._

" _If this is what you call_ _ **TRYING,**_ _than you have no hope in winning the tournament, let alone succeeding as a Huntress." Winter said, "Why don't you go back home? I'm sure father will give you a nice job… As a receptionist!"_

 _Weiss couldn't help but feel angered by this, "I don't need his charity."_

" _But you do need his money, don't you?" Winter asked as she leaned forward._

 _Weiss seemed to be surprised at that, "How did you know about that!?"_

" _Lucky guess." She replied, "I may have been in a similar situation when I joined the military. So pray tell… What did you do this time?"_

" _Well…" Weiss started to say, "... That's just it… I'm not really sure. I went to pay for lunch the other day, but my card didn't work. It just said declined."_

" _Oh how embarrassing…" She said sarcastically._

" _I know!" Weiss said._

 _Winter only gave Weiss a look as she shook her head. "Well it was." She said, "Why would he cut me off like that?!"_

" _Perhaps so that you would stop avoiding him and just call home."_

 _Weiss couldn't help but feel ticked off at the thought of her father; She turned away from her sister as she activated her semblance again, creating another summoning circle. "Emotions can grant you strength." Winter said as she put her hand on her shoulder, "But as they can grant us power, you must never let them overpower you."_

 _Weiss let out a sigh as the circle vanished, "What do you suggest I do than?"_

 _Winter soon replied, "The way I see it, you have two choices right in front of you. You can either call father, beg for him to give you his money back, and explain to him once again why you want to study Beacon over Atlas. Or… You could explore Remnant. Discover more about the world and honestly… More about yourself."_

 _Weiss looked to her feet and thought about her sisters words. She thought about her two choices. She had to admit, it was a tough call, but she had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to do. Winter soon noticed the time on her silver watch, "Well…" She said, "... It's time for me to go."_

 _Winter soon gave her a hug before Weiss hugged her back._

" _It was really good seeing you Winter." She said with a smile._

 _Winter smiled back, "Until next time little sister."_

 _Thus they both walked their separate ways._

 _Though what they failed to notice was that a small sword had laid on the floor from where Weiss created her glyph. In mere seconds, the sword vanished without a trace._

* * *

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

- _ **Present; Atlas Ship, Blue Two**_ -

Ruby ran across the deck of the ship trying to find a way inside with her Crescent Rose in hand. She figured that if she couldn't find a way in, the worst case scenario she would have to make a way. Though before she could think of making an entrance herself, she heard a loud piercing roar, echoing through the horizon. She turned to the source and her eyes widened in shock by what it had been.

A Wyvern flew just over head as it dripped more of the strange black substance that had as it flew around the area; Following behind it, had been a horde of Griffons and Nevermores alike. Though as the Wyvern flew towards the ship, Ruby saw something very odd. In the middle of it's head, there looked to be like that of a person stuck to it; but it wasn't just any person, it had been that of a child.

The child possed familiar magenta hair, as there looked to be an insignia of a red eye in the middle of her forehead instead of the butterfly. Just from the hair, Ruby knew who it had been.

"Destiny…?"

As the Wyvern flew from the ship, Ruby found herself just in the middle of the horde, seemingly snapping out of her shock to where the child had been. One of the Griffon's in the horde flew downward, attempting to attack her from above; though Ruby had been quick to move.

It let out a roar before it charged.

With her Crescent Rose in hand, Ruby sliced the Griffon in two, after letting out a war cry. Thankfully she had been able to take it out.

 _ **SNAP!**_

Ruby flinched slightly at the sound of a camera; she turned behind her and saw a familiar girl with pink and brown hair; her outfit changing to that of her usual in an instant. Neo smiled as she gave her a wink.

Inside the ship, Roman saw his scroll give a ping. He looked and saw he had gotten a message from Neo.

"Guess who?" Is what it had read.

When he pulled up the picture, he saw it had been the last face he thought he would never have to see again.

Roman let out in an annoyed groan, "Oh, you _**CANNOT**_ be serious!"

He removed his scroll from the port the ship's computer provided, before taking his weapon and proceeding outside.

* * *

- _ **Cafeteria Building**_ -

Blake couldn't help but back up from where she stood, after the seeing Adam just standing there, looking at her.

"Running away again?" Adam asked her, causing her to flinch, "Is that what you've become my love? A coward?"

"Why!?" Blake soon exclaimed, "Why are you doing all of this!?"

"You and I were going to change the world, remember?!" Adam told her, "We were destined to light the fires of revolution!"

Adam soon placed his foot on top of a student, wearing a uniform from Atlas, as he had his blade in hand. "Consider _**THIS**_ , the spark."

Just when he was about to thrust his blade, he had been pushed back suddenly. Blake had been in front of him, as her blade had been drawn; her sword clashed with his.

"I'm _**NOT**_ running!" Blake said with a sneer.

"You _**WILL**_ be." Adam told her.

He soon kicked Blake back, causing her to hit the ground hard. A Grimm charged at her, though before it could attack, Adam took it out in one shot.

"But not before you've suffered for your betrayal… My love."

* * *

- _ **Courtyard**_ -

The group of students defending Beacon were getting quickly overrun by the Grimm, Atlesian Knights, and the Paladins. Despite their numbers they were getting pushed back with every attack they threw. " **WEISS!** " Neptune exclaimed as he saw Weiss fly backwards after a Paladin hit her. Yatsuhashi and Coco had gotten punched away by the Paladin as well, as they both skidded across the floor.

Ren had been catching his breath after defeating a group of Grimm; he didn't realize that a Paladin had been coming up behind him.

" **LOOK OUT!** " Nora shouted, before she shoved him out of the way. She ended up taking the hit instead as she hit the ground hard.

"Nora! No!" Ren yelled.

Just as he was about to run to her, he was hit away by the Paladin as well. It soon turned to Coco, who had recovered from the attack as she, Velvet and Neptune attacked with all that they had.

"Uh-This is bad!" Neptune said, "At this rate, we're gonna get killed!"

"Well…" Coco said, "... I guess no is a good a time as any!" She turned over to the rabbit Fanus, "Velvet!"

Velvet seemed to have brightened, "Really?" She asked.

"Just make them count." Coco said with a smile.

Velvet nodded her head before she stepped forward to the Paladin as she had been preparing herself.

( _ **Song Starts: I May Fall Performed By Casey Lee Williams & Jeff Williams**_)

 _ **There's a day when our hearts will be broken**_

 _ **When the shadow will cast out the light**_

 _ **And our eyes cry a million tears**_

 _ **Help won't arrive**_

"What are you doing!?" Weiss yelled to Coco as she stood, "She's going to get hurt!"

"Just watch." Coco told Weiss as she smiled.

Velvet held out her hand and all of a sudden a blue light had appeared from where her camera had been. The blue light formed and it was in the form of Ruby's Crescent Rose.

 _ **There's a day when our courage collapses**_

 _ **And our friends turn and leave us behind**_

 _ **Creatures of darkness will triumph**_

 _ **The sun won't rise**_

The Paladin went to attack Velvet, though she jumped in the air. Mimicking Ruby's movements, she attacked the Paladin as it took heavy damage. Once she landed on her feet, the Crescent Rose had disappeared, and it soon formed Weiss's weapon, the Myrtenaster.

 _ **When we've lost all hope**_

 _ **And succumb to fear**_

 _ **As the skies rain blood**_

 _ **And the end draws near**_

With the Myrtenaster in hand, the Paladin went to hit her above, though had been pushed back by an unknown force. She flipped back and charged at the Paladin with the Myrtenaster in hand, and attacked creating gashes along the robot. The Myrtenaster soon disappeared as it soon took the form of Yang's weapon, that had been better known as the Ember Celica.

She threw several punches, as it started to fire rounds at the Paladin, creating several dents and burns. It tried to attack though Velvet stuck low to the ground as it soon took the form of Blake's weapon which had been the Gambol Shroud.

 _ **I may fall**_

 _ **But not like this, it won't be by your hand**_

 _ **I may fall**_

 _ **Not this place, not today**_

She unsheathed her blade and latched onto the Paladin. As the ribbon came undone, she circled around it, wrapping the ribbon around it's legs; it fell over on its side. Another Paladin went to attack from behind though with one swift it sliced it's arm in two.

She threw the blade in the Paladin's face before she fired using Coco's weapon that had been materialized in her hands, finishing it off.

 _ **I may fall**_

 _ **Bring it all**_

 _ **It's not enough to take me down**_

 _ **I may fall**_

Another came to attack her on the side, though Coco's weapon soon disappeared from her hands, and it took the form of Sun's weapons, known as Ryui Bang and Jingu Bang. She jumped and attacked the Paladin, using the weapons before she ran along its arm, before jumping high into the air; the weapon soon shifted into Nora's Magnhild as she attacked from above. She stood on top of the wreckage as Penny's bag appeared on her back.

A total of five swords soon emerged.

 _ **There's a place where we'll stand outnumbered**_

 _ **When the wolves and the soulless will rise**_

 _ **In the time of our final moments**_

 _ **Every dream dies**_

Velvet jumped off, and with the movements of her hands she sliced the legs and arms of the paladin she had been on top of. The swords started to circle around and put her hands together as a gigantic laser ultimately destroying the robot from Atlas.

 _ **There's a place where our shields will lay shattered**_

 _ **And the fears all that's left in our hearts**_

 _ **Strength and our courage will run out**_

 _ **We fall apart**_

The Paladin that Velvet had tied up earlier had managed to get up on its feet when the ribbon had disappeared. It charged at Velvet hitting across the face; Velvet had cried out in agony as she flew across the floor, as her Aura had shattered.

" **VELVET!** " Coco had cried out.

She soon turned her sights on the Paladin as it had stepped towards her teammate; the other students like that of Neptune, Reese and Nadir began to attack as well, as an attempt to get its attention, although it didn't prove to be successful.

 _ **When we lose our faith**_

 _ **And forsake our friends**_

 _ **When the moon is gone**_

 _ **And we've reached our end**_

Finally Weiss had gotten fed up.

She used her glyphs to help her sprint towards Velvet as the Paladin went to attack. It was only than she saw, a circle appear behind. Though Weiss had been surprised to see it had been the summoning circle as she looked to be in slight awe by it.

 _ **I may fall**_

 _ **But not like this, it won't be by your hand**_

 _ **I may fall**_

 _ **Not this place, not today**_

She managed to reach Velvet in time, as she stopped right in front of her. She shut her eyes as the Paladin went to punch her; though she was surprised when she heard a clang sound. When she opened her eyes she saw the arm of a Knight wielding a sword in front of her as it had blocked the Paladin's attack.

 _ **I may fall**_

 _ **Bring it all**_

 _ **It's not enough to take me down**_

 _ **I may fall**_

The arm pushed the Paladin's arm, forcing it to hit the ground, and with the swift movement of it's blade, it had sliced the Paladin in two.

 _ **I may fall**_

 _ **I may fall**_

 _ **I may, I may**_

 _ **Fall**_

Weiss looked and was still shocked to see that she actually performed a summoning. Well, okay it wasn't a whole body, but it was still something. She had soon been startled by a sudden flash, courtesy of Velvet as she had gotten her camera out.

The entire group had almost stumbled when the entire ground shook again. They turned and saw another Paladin in the distance.

" **YOU HAVE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!** " They heard Sun yell.

* * *

Ruby ultimately ended up fighting Neo.

She tried to talk to her, to tell her about Destiny and Cristal though she wouldn't have any part of it. Ruby kept attacking Neo head on though she evaded her attacks with ease.

Though Neo had finally gained some distance, though shattered as Roman fired a shot. She had been caught by surprise as she nearly fell off the ship; She quickly used her Crescent Rose as it had dug into the ground, ultimately stopping her in her tracks which she sighed with relief at.

"Little Red, little Red…" Roman said as he stepped towards her, "You're just determined to be the hero of Vale aren't you?"

"What are you doing!?" She said, "Without these ships the Grimm will destroy everything!"

"That's the plan!" Roman said as he prepared to shoot her.

She quickly pushed his gun out of the way, causing him to stumble. Ruby got up just as Neo kicked her right in the face, which had caused her to spin. She nearly fell off the ship again though had managed to regain her footing again.

"Please! You have to stop this!" Ruby soon begged, "You won't gain anything from this!"

"That's where your wrong Red!" Roman told her, "It's not what I have to gain! It's what I _**CAN'T**_ afford to lose!"

"Listen to me!" She told him, "Think about what you're doing! Destiny! Cristal! They don't want this! You have to stop listening to Cinder!"

Roman soon gave a glare, "Don't talk about them like you know them!"

"Cristal is fighting for her life right now!" Ruby soon added, "And Destiny is danger! I saw her pass by just now! You have to believe me!"

"Stop telling me lies and just let me kill you already!" He soon shouted, before pulling the trigger on his Melodic Cudgel. Using her semblance, Ruby dodged the shot before Neo had charged at her again; she threw another kick though Ruby had been able to block her this time. Though this only gave Neo an opening as she hooked her weapon before moving under the girl, causing her to flip.

Neo kicked her in the back as she flew towards Roman with a scream.

Roman tapped his cane on the floor, just as he pulled the trigger, causing the cane to hit her in the stomach; with a spin, he fired another round over his shoulder causing her to fly, as she went over the edge. At the last second she grabbed a hold of her Crescent Rose and found herself hanging over the horde of Grimm. She held on for dear life as she had been struggling to do so.

"Destiny and Cristal-They're the only things I have left in this big screwed up world!" Roman soon said, "Cinder threatened to take that all away from me! I had a chance to get them back! I had a chance to bring them back home! But that all went down the drain the moment I found you in that Dust shop!"

Neo soon approached Ruby as she dragged the blade with her; she soon held the blade towards her, as the tip nearly touched the bridge of her nose.

"And like it or not, she's going to change this world!" He told her, "You can't stop her, and I can't stop her even if I wanted to! This is my last chance getting back the only two people that matter to me! So either you can get out of my way, or you can go and-!"

"Sorry about this!" Ruby said cutting him off.

Just as this was said, she pulled herself up and pressed the button on Neo's umbrella, causing it to spring open. Neo gasped before she found herself flying off of the ship and into the horde of Grimm.

" **NEO!** " Roman yelled.

Ruby had been quick to pull herself up, before she used her semblance to charge at Roman; with a grunt he had been tackled onto the ground, knocking off his hat in the process.

"Just-Listen to me-" Ruby said before she pinned him after getting his weapon away from him, "- **FOR TWO SECONDS!** " Roman froze at Ruby's tone of voice and soon noticed the look she had been giving.

She didn't even give him a chance to talk as she soon said, "I'm _**NOT**_ lying to you! Cinder is the one that's been lying! She has been this whole time! Destiny and Cristal, she wasn't going to let them go! My friends and I talked to them! We know why you kept them hidden up until this point, and we're doing what we can to help them like what you've done!"

Ruby could see the look in his eye, as he didn't seem to buy into her story as he started to struggle, "Give me one good reason why I should believe what your saying!"

Ruby quickly reached into her skirt pocket before she held out the pictures to him; he ceased his movements as he just looked shots. It had been the pictures of his daughters; the last one being of his wife in her teen years. He had been hypnotized by the photos as he sat up.

"Where…" He said reaching to photos, "... Where did you get these…?"

"Destiny gave them to me." Ruby replied as she let him take the photos, "She told me all sorts of things about you. Cristal too. They told us, how much you love them, and how much they love you."

"But I-" He stammered as he looked at the photos, "-I don't understand… How is this even possible?"

"My team-My friends and I found them." Ruby started to explain, "We've been taking care of them, and kept them safe like you did. It was shocking when they told us you were there father. But… After they told us all those things about you… I saw that they had a great parent. In all honesty… If the same thing happened to me or Yang… Dad would've done what you were doing."

Ruby soon got off of Roman as she soon held her hand out to him, "Destiny is in trouble now, but I can't save her alone. Help me save everyone. Help me save her. Help me fight like Cristal is. Not just for their sake… But for Trinity too."

Roman looked to the photographs, or more specifically the photo of his wife, as he couldn't help but reminisce.

* * *

- _ **Three Years Earlier**_ -

 _Roman had gotten home late after another job. As he stepped into the small apartment he hand his hand over his arm that had been bleeding; courtesy of his recent job. He bit his bottom lip as he let out a groan, though he had thanked the stars that he had only gotten graze._

 _That didn't stop it from hurting._

 _He placed the Melodic Cudgel on the counter before he went towards his room. Though as he approached the door he stopped when he saw a young twelve year old girl dash out of the room. He recognized the girl to be that of his eldest daughter-His little gem, Cristal._

 _She jumped at the sight of him when she turned to head to the kitchen._

" _Oh! Dad!" She exclaimed as she waved awkwardly, "Hi! You're back already!?"_

" _What are you doing up this late?" He asked her, as he quickly put his arm behind his back, "And why were you in my room?"_

" _I uh-!" Cristal started to stammer, "-Destiny and I were playing hide and seek and we-"_

 _It hadn't been long before he heard a little shriek coming from the room. At this Roman had acted, and opened the door before Cristal could protest. There he saw his youngest daughter, a girl at the age of nine hanging off the book shelf over what appeared to be broken glass._

" _Destiny!?" He exclaimed._

 _The little one turned over to him as she struggled to hang on, "Da-Daddy?!" She stammered, "I didn't realize you were home!"_

 _Before Roman could ask, Destiny's tiny hands slipped as she let out a scream. At this, Roman had quickly acted as he slid on the floor, not caring about the broken shards. He had been quick to catch her, though he let out another groan, as he had used his wounded arm._

 _His children took notice of this, as they saw the blood._

" _You're arm…!" Cristal exclaimed. She had been about to run over though Roman motioned her not to._

 _Destiny moved from his wound, "Are you okay?"_

 _Roman sighed as he moved off the shards setting her on the bed; Cristal followed behind as she climbed up onto the bed to be with her little sister. "I'll be alright Princess." Roman reassured the nine year old, "It's just a scratch."_

" _That-Doesn't look like a scratch though…" Cristal pointed out, as her voice had been filled with worry._

 _Roman ignored this before he asked, "What are you two doing up this late? I thought you would be fast asleep by now."_

 _Cristal was about to say something though Destiny beat her to it, "It's my fault daddy. I had a nightmare, and we were trying to find a good picture book. Cristal was just trying to help me get to it."_

" _Is that true?" Roman asked as he looked over to her sister._

 _Cristal gave a nod, "I thought, it would help her sleep. I was going to the kitchen to find a step ladder before you showed up."_

" _We didn't mean to break anything, honest." Destiny soon added, "Please don't be mad at us."_

 _Roman couldn't help but laugh to himself softly as he saw the look on their faces. They're just like their mother, is the thought that came to him. He gave the two of them a pat on the head, "I can never be mad at you." He reassured them, "Tell you what… When I'm finished cleaning I'll read you a story from the picture book, how does that sound?"_

" _Re-Really?" Destiny said._

" _You're really not mad?" Cristal asked surprised._

 _Roman shook his head at this, "I'm just glad that you're both not hurt. Now why don't you tuck your sister to bed while I clean up?"_

 _Cristal looked skeptical though she gave a nod, "Okay."_

 _She helped Destiny up off the bed as they both proceeded towards the hall. The two girls soon watched as Roman started to pick up the shards with the help of a broom and dustpan that he had in his room; every now and than they would see him flinch whenever he had been forced to move it. It hadn't been long before Destiny tugged on her sisters shirt; she started to whisper in her ear after she leaned over._

" _Good idea!" Cristal whispered as she gave a thumbs up._

 _The two of them soon went to the bathroom, but not before Destiny noticed a picture on the ground; on the back it had read, "The Best Day". She looked at the photo with curious eyes, as she saw who had been in the frame; Though Cristal soon called out to her as she seemed to lose somewhat of her interest as she went over to the bathroom._

 _In mere moments, Roman tossed the shards in a waist bin nearby before he went to get the book at the top shelf that Destiny had her sights on. As he removed it from where it had been, another book seemed to have slipped out which took him back a bit. What had fallen to the floor had been an old worn out album that was labeled "Treasures"._

 _His eyes softened as he sat on the floor, picking up the album, before opening it. He couldn't help but let out a nostalgic sigh at the sight of the pictures. Most of them had been of himself, Trinity, and Neo back when they were teenagers. Some had been silly, while others had been just plain silly. He laughed to himself whenever he remembered the day the moment had been captured._

 _Though he soon stopped at a certain page; it had been photos of their wedding._

 _He had on a fancy black suit with his signature bowler hat and feather, and Neo wore a suit herself, almost copying his style; only difference being her suit had been brown and pink like her hair that had been tied back. Upon her head she had a headband with a beautiful white rose to go with it. Trinity had worn a beautiful white dress that had been up to her knees with a set of high heels that had a set of jewels at the tip of the shoes. Her hair had been tied back into a bun and she had purple lipstick on her lips; she held a bouquet of primroses, her favorite flower. Around her waist she had an asymmetrical skirt that had been in the color of light blue as it covered the back of her legs, but had shown just enough of her dress skirt._

 _He still had been surprised that she had made the dress herself; it blew his mind everytime he found himself looking back at the day of their wedding._

 _Than again, he always did like how she dressed classy._

 _He soon turned the page, and it had revealed another set of photographs; this time being of her with a little toddler. The baby in the photo, had the color of orange hair like he did, but part of her bangs had transitioned to the color of magenta; her eyes had been that of lavender as she looked to the camera like a curious dog._

 _He remembered the first time Trinity told him, she had been pregnant with their baby girl. He couldn't be happier; he not only had the hand of the woman he loved, but now he had the chance to be what he didn't have, a loving father._

 _He thought for sure that Cristal would take more after their mother however; though she had her clumsiness and insecurities he had been surprised that she his personality and even his traits; Especially when it came to style._

 _He soon turned to the page when Destiny had been born, and his heart just soared at how she looked as a baby. Despite her being born with just one eye, he and Trinity still love her as if she had been born perfect. Cristal had been in almost everyone of the photos with Destiny, as she had liked her even back than._

 _She always made sure she was never alone which was sweet._

 _Those had been the best days of his life; the best ending to a fairytale._

 _Though, even days like these can come to an end._

 _Cristal no longer bared the appearance of either him or his wife, since the day he lost the love of his life, and Destiny had an eye that wasn't even human. Now two of his children had to spend it in hiding in the hopes the one responsible won't find them._

 _He couldn't go to anyone for help, with the exception of Neo; his friends, his family were all gone. It had been just him, his daughters and his childhood friend and partner in crime._

 _He was soon bought out of his thought when he felt a wet cloth press against his arm, that somewhat stung to the touch. He saw it had been Destiny._

" _What are you doing?" He asked her._

" _I wanted to clean up the wound." Destiny had replied, "It's gonna get messy if it stays that way."_

 _Cristal soon came in with a pale of water, setting it next to Destiny, "It'll stain your favorite jacket if it stays like that."_

 _Roman looked to them surprised before he gave a smile, "Thank you."_

 _Thus Destiny started to clean up with blood, while Cristal helped her to wash off the blood that had stained on it. Though it hadn't been long before he noticed a photo sticking out of Destiny's PJ pocket._

" _Sweetheart…" He soon said, "... Where did you get that photo?"_

 _At first, Destiny didn't know what he had been referring to until the thought came back to her; She placed the wet cloth aside before she removed it from the pocket. "I found it in the hallway." She replied, "I think it slipped out for your pocket."_

 _Cristal soon looked over her shoulder, "I don't remember seeing that one before…"_

 _Roman took the photo and gazed at it; he let out a nostalgic sigh at the sight of it._

" _Do you…" He soon started to say, "... Know this is?"_

 _The girls shook their head in reply._

" _This was your mother, when she was younger." He soon answered._

" _Really?!" Destiny said with disbelief as her expression brightened, "That's mommy?!"_

" _No way!" Cristal said as her eyes sparkled, "She looks so different!"_

" _Well people don't always look the same." Roman said, "I took this photo during the Vytal Festival in Mistral. She didn't like how it came out at first, but you know what I said to her?"_

" _What? What?" Destiny asked as she practically bounced._

" _Come on dad, tell us!" Cristal said._

 _Roman soon told them, "... I told her, 'I think it catches your beauty that shines more than any other girl I've laid my eyes on. And you my queen, are the fairest of them all.'"_

 _Destiny couldn't help but be in awe as did Cristal at the thought of it. "So cute!" They both said at the same time. Roman chuckled at their expression, but soon did something that neither of them didn't suspect. He gently pushed the photograph back into Destiny's hands as she lost her smile._

" _Here Princess." He said, "I want you to have this."_

 _At this Destiny shook her head, "Daddy I can't! It's your photo!"_

" _Please, I insist." Roman said, "I feel awful that you don't have a way to remember what she looked like. Besides… Your mother would want you to have this too."_

 _Destiny looked unsure as she looked to the photo in her hands; She soon felt a pat on her shoulder, courtesy of Cristal, "You should keep it, so you have way to remember mom. Stories can only do so much, you know?"_

" _Is it… Really okay?" Destiny soon asked her father._

" _Of course." He replied, "Just promise you'll take care of it, like I would."_

 _Destiny couldn't help but hug the photo, as she sniffled a little, "I… I promise daddy."_

" _That's my good girl." He said, before giving her a kiss on the cheek._

 _Cristal soon gave a slight pout as she couldn't help but feel a little jealous at the affection. Roman let out a chuckle, "Don't worry little Gem. I didn't forget about you." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, and Cristal couldn't help but turn red and smile. He soon took them by surprise as he had lifted them up off the ground with ease, while picking up the book._

" _Now than…" He said, "... Let's get the two of you to bed."_

* * *

- _ **Present**_ -

Roman had been bought out of his own trance when he felt a hand over his. He looked and saw silver eyes looking to him; Ruby never left. He thought about what she had told him, as he couldn't process it. He did have his suspicion about Cinder, from the very beginning in fact. He had a feeling she was lying to him about certain things; why she needed the Dust and what her true goal had been.

Even so he had hoped… She had been telling the truth about letting his daughters go.

"Roman…?" Ruby soon asked, "... Are you okay…?"

At first, Roman had stayed silent as he looked to the pictures again; after a brief moment he stuffed them in his pocket before he stood.

"My daughters…" He soon said, as he looked to Ruby, "... Can you take me to them?"

Ruby's expression brightened as she soon stood, "That might be a little tricky to be honest. But I know Cristal is with Weiss and Blake! Destiny on the other hand she's in trouble."

"Trouble?" Roman said, "What do you mean tro- **LOOK OUT!** "

Roman shoved Ruby out of the way, just a large Griffon landed on the ship. As Roman went to retrieve his weapon, the Griffon attacked with its tail; He had been able to block but just barely as he felt a sharp pain in his arm. He let out a cry as he landed on his side.

" **ROMAN!** " Ruby exclaimed.

The Griffon let out a roar as the force pushed Ruby back. She ran towards it just as it charged; when it went to attack, she jumped overhead, kicking it in the back hard causing it to fall within the ship setting it on fire. The minute Ruby landed on the ground she ran towards Roman as she saw him hold his arm.

"Are you okay!?" She asked him.

"I'm fine!" He told her after he took a sharp inhale, "Where did that Griffon go?"

They soon felt the whole ship shake as explosions came from the inside. They soon felt the ship descend towards the ground and it had started to tip.

"Run?" Ruby suggested.

"Yup, definitely run!" Roman replied as he got up from the floor.

They both ran towards the edge of the ship just as it started to turn to avoid falling off. " **WHAT'S YOUR PLAN OF ESCAPE THAN RED!?** " He shouted as more of the explosions came.

" **I GOT ONE!** " Ruby yelled back as she took hold of her Crescent Rose, " **GRAB MY SHOULDER!** "

She soon jumped off the ship, with Roman following behind her; he took her shoulder just as she had told him. She than activated her semblance as they both flew out of the horde, nearly hitting the Griffon; Ruby soon turned over her Crescent Rose before pulling the trigger, over and over again causing them to hoover.

Eventually they made it to the rooftop of a building nearby as they both had toppled over. After they recovered they saw the Atlas ship catch fire as it descended further.

"Well…" Roman said as he sat up, "... That's one way to stop a program…"

He let out a cry of agony when he felt the stabbing pain in his arm. Ruby quickly went over to him at this; She helped me to remove the scarf from his neck as to use it as it a makeshift cast.

"I don't normally say this but…" Roman started to say as she finished tying it, "... Thank you."

"Hey, it's not a problem!" Ruby told him, "I'm just sorry that you have a broken arm now."

"I'll manage just fine." Roman said, "But… I wasn't talking about my arm Red."

Ruby looked to him surprised before she gave him a smile; it hadn't been long before she stood, picking her weapon off the ground, "Let's go find my team."

Roman stood as well while picking up his cane, "Lead the way." He told her.

Thus they proceeded off of the rooftop, using the door that had been provided just as the ship crashed into Vale in the distance.

* * *

The whole crowd of students had been put into shock when all around, the Paladin's that had once surrounded them had completely shut down. The lights went out as they had slumped over suddenly as some of them even fell over face first onto the floor.

"Welp…" Sun said, while catching his breath, "... That went better than I expected."

" **WEISS!** "

Most of the students had been drawn to a familiar voice. They turned and saw it had been Yang, with Zwei following close behind her; She approached Weiss as she had been using her sword to keep her up.

"You're okay!" She said relieved, "Have you heard anything from Ruby and Destiny? And where's Cristal?"

"Ruby went to get Roman…" Weiss explained, "... I saw Cristal go with Jaune and Pyrrha… And Destiny went to Mountain Glenn… I haven't seen her come back yet."

Yang looked around and saw that a certain Fanus had been missing, "What about Blake? Where is she?"

"She went after an Alpha…" Weiss replied, pointing in the direction Blake had taken, "... And some members of the White Fang."

Yang looked in the direction where Blake had gone, "You look for Ruby and Destiny." Yang told her, "I'll go find Blake."

Yang ran in the direction where Blake had gone while Weiss gave her a thumbs up, having been unable to say anything more.

* * *

Ozpin, Jaune, Pyrrha and Cristal ran out of the elevator as soon as the doors open. As Jaune and Cristal followed behind them, they couldn't help but take a look around, as they were unfamiliar with the area.

"What…" Jaune said, "... What is this place?"

"It's… A type of vault." Pyrrha replied hesitantly.

"Hold on!" Cristal said, "You mean, you've actually been here!? When!?"

Pyrrha gave no reply as she stayed silent; keeping her eyes forward. "I don't get it…" Jaune said, "... What would this school… Have to hide…?"

They had soon gotten to the end of the hall; Cristal's eyes widened when her eyes saw a familiar face. "...Amber…?" She said as she was just in pure shock, as she saw the mark on her face, "...What… What happened to her…?"

"Wait…" Jaune said, "That's Amber?" He soon looked to Pyrrha, "What's going on here?"

"Jaune, Cristal…" Pyrrha said, "I-"

"Pyrrha!" Ozpin said cutting her off, "We need to hurry!"

Pyrrha exchanged a glance over to Ozpin than to two of her friends; She soon nodded to the headmaster as she went over to the capsule that had been provided. "Mister Arc, Cristal, if you would like to help, than the two of you can stand guard!"

Jaune nodded and armed himself, Cristal on the other hand looked Ozpin as she had a skeptical look on her face as she looked over to Amber. She had so many questions in her head as to why Amber had been there or what had been going on. She didn't even know what she should think; though as she looked to Ozpin again she noticed the look in his eyes.

Finally she shook the thought from her head as she soon stood by Jaune's side.

"What do we do now?" Pyrrha asked.

"We… Do nothing." Ozpin replied, as he had been typing on the computer that had been provided, "... You Miss Nikos, have a choice to make."

Pyrrha looked over to the capsule as it had opened. She had a thought in her head as she looked over Cristal and Jaune.

She removed the flower from her head as she looked to it; the red eye still glowed faintly. Ozpin took notice of the flower in her hands as his eyes widened slightly. Though he made sure Pyrrha didn't see his reaction.

She let out a sigh as she held the flower close to her.

" _ **I'm sorry…**_ " She thought to herself.

She stepped inside the capsule still holding the flower in her hand; the lid closed shut as it began to power up. The flower in her hand started to glow red a bit more violently.

* * *

- _ **?**_ -

When she opened her eyes she found herself back in the land of red again. The capsule opened up as she stepped out into the mist once more. The mist had cleared up a path, and ahead she saw a familiar figure. The Child looked to be laying by a pool of black substance as it had looked to be resting.

Pyrrha approached the Child of Grimm, as it had opened its eyes.

" _So… You've come back._ " The Child of Grimm said, as it stood. It soon noticed the look on her face as it had tilted its head.

" _You look troubled…"_ It said, " _... Whatever is the matter?"_

"The tragedy that you talked about before…" Pyrrha started to say, "... It started when I-Took Penny's life… Didn't it?"

The Child of Grimm stayed silent at this, before it gave its response, " _It is as I've said… The knowledge of when the tragedy will happen or what it will be, is beyond me…_ " It soon looked over to the horizon, " _... However there is no denying about what had happened to that girl… There was a wave sadness among the people of this place, and those outside of it. I feel the anguish as do the other Grimm I imagine. Why do you ask this of me?_ "

Pyrrha's body started to shake, "Everything is falling apart… Beacon… Vale. And the person responsible for all of this- There's no telling what she's going to do now! I don't know if we can do this alone."

The Child of Grimm seemed to have understand what Pyrrha had been saying; though to be more precise, it seemed to know what she was going to ask.

" _You wish… For me to help you_?" The Child of Grimm concluded.

Pyrrha didn't give a direct answer, as she had responded, "... If I give you some of my Aura… You'll be able to make a body right?"

The Child of Grimm nodded, " _I cannot make any guarantees, but as long as I remain bound to you, I will be able to take a form of my own._ "

"Than… If I give you my Aura…" She started to say, "... Will you help us? If I give it to you, than will you help us fight?"

The Child of Grimm's gaze had softened; Pyrrha took notice of this as her eyes softened too. " _I kept this from you for a reason…_ " The Child of Grimm told her, " _... But you should know this…_ " It looked her in the eyes, as Pyrrha seemed to notice that the Child of Grimm's body shook, "... _When I take form… This conversation… And the one before… Will be gone…_ "

Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock from this, as she realized the creature of Grimm before her, was holding back tears.

" _I will not remember you… I will not remember this…_ " The Child of Grimm told her, " _... Possibly I will forget about my kind… The only thing I shall remember… Is the name you will give me, when I form the bond. That is the price we must pay, in order for us to take form._ "

Pyrrha stayed silent at this as she had another thought race to her head. The Child of Grimm flinched when she felt her hand on its paw. "Than… I'll help you remember." She said, "I'll tell you what you have told me… When all is set and done here."

The Child of Grimm looked to her shocked, but soon let out a chuckle, " _You really are a strange human._ " It said, " _Than again… I don't think I've ever minded strange…_ "

Pyrrha laughed to herself a little, "That's good to hear."

" _Than… I will ask you once more…_ " The Child of Grimm said, " _... Will you lent me your Aura Pyrrha Nikos…?_ "

Pyrrha's expression changed as she nodded her head, "Yes."

The ground around them started to shake, as Pyrrha noticed its mask began to glow a red glow just like that of the flower.

" _Repeat the words I say…_ " The Child of Grimm said. Using it's claw it made a small cut around her wrist as if it had been that of a bracelet.

"... _Ash to ash… Dust to dust…_ " The Child of Grimm began to chant.

"... Ash to ash…" Pyrrha repeated, "... Dust to dust…"

" _I tie now… That of string, to the soul until I spring…_ "

"I tie now, that of string… To the soul until I spring…"

The Child of Grimm leaned it's head so that it had been touching Pyrrha's forehead. The Child of Grimm's body began to change; though Pyrrha couldn't tell of that it's appearance as it had been shrouded with the shadow that she had casted. It covered the Child of Grimm as if it had been like that of that of a blanket.

She could almost swear that its voice began to change, as it sounded to be more human than it did a beast.

"... _Should I break when I wake…_ "

"... Should I break when I wake…"

" _... Than I shall pray…_ "

"Than I shall pray…"

"... The _Gods_ will _take_..."

Pyrrha looked to the Child of Grimm as it now looked to be the same height as her; it had looked to be virtually the same only two things. Only that this person had hair as long as hers if she had undid her ponytail. And she appeared to see small horns on the side of the person's head, that had been different than that of the beast before. They appeared to be smaller, and looked as though they looked they could belong to that of a ram as it had been in the process of growing in.

" _Pyrrha…_ " The Child of Grimm said as it now had a voice of a girl, though still echoed, "... _Give me a name…_ "

Pyrrha shut her eyes once more, as she felt herself returning to reality, though not before she had given her what she had requested.

"Your name… Shall be _**Elise.**_

* * *

- _ **Cafeteria Building**_ -

Blake flew back in the wall, landing on her side after recieving an attack from Adam. She tried her best to recover as Adam approached her.

"This could've been _**OUR**_ day!" Adam told her, "Can't you see that!?"

"I never wanted this!" Blake told him, as she armed her gun, "I wanted equality! I wanted peace!"

She got on her knees as she fired at him; while blocking the bullets his blade and hair lit up with red. " **WHAT YOU WANT IS IMPOSSIBLE!** " He shouted before he slapped her across the face. She struggled to get up as Adam towered over her.

"But I understand." He said, "Because all I want… _**Is you Blake**_."

Blake went to attack, though Adam kicked her weapon away, causing her to fall back. He soon kneeled down, "And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves… I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love…"

" **BLAKE!** "

They two of them had been startled by a voice; they looked in the direction from where it came from as they saw it had been Yang, taking out some of the members of the White Fang.

" **BLAKE! WHERE ARE YOU!?** " She yelled.

Blake's eyes widened in horror as she had come to a horrifying realization. "Starting with her." Adam said.

"You ca- **AH!** "

Before Blake could finish her sentence, Adam thrusted his blade into her side causing her to cry out in agony, getting Yang's attention. He removed the blade from her as she clutched her side.

"Get away from her!" She shouted at Adam.

Blake reached out to Yang, as her body shook a little.

"No…" Blake pleaded with agony, "... Please…"

Yang's hair lit up like fire as her eyes turned red, " **NNNNOOOOOWWWWW!** "

She rocketed towards Adam with her weapons, and that's when Adam attacked. With one swing the world seemed to have slowed down; Yang's arm had split in two, the other half had disintegrated completely. She fell on her side passing out, as the beaded bracelet that Destiny gave her fell just next to her.

Adam walked towards her, as to finish her off; though despite her pain, Blake ran to her partners side. Adam stopped in his tracks when he saw Blake give him a glare.

"... Why must you hurt me Blake…?"

Adam swung his sword and Blake's head came clean off; or at least that's what he thought as her body had disappeared completely.

He turned and saw Blake running with Yang in her arms, and holding what looked to be a bracelet in her hand. Adam clicked his tongue as he started to make his way out of the grounds, taking out a couple of Grimm on the way.

* * *

Ozpin had been ready to transfer Amber's aura over to Pyrrha, just as she opened her eyes. Pyrrha looked down at her wrist as she removed her glove; taking not that their had been a faint scar around where the Child of Grimm had cut it. The flower that had been in her hands, glowed faintly in her hands, as there had been marks similar to that of a vein on the petals.

"... _No turning back now…_ "

"Miss Nikos!" She soon heard Ozpin say, "Are you ready?"

Pyrrha looked over to Ozpin as she nodded, putting her glove back on.

"I…" He said, "... I need to hear you say it."

"... Yes." Pyrrha said.

"Thank you." He said.

Thus with a press of a button the device started to activate. The wires lit up with orange and flowed into Pyrrha's capsule.

She held the flower close as she let out a scream, feeling the energy flow into her suddenly. Jaune and Cristal had been drawn to her screams.

" **PYRRHA!** " Jaune yelled as he ran over to the capsule Pyrrha had been in.

"Wha-What's happening?!" Cristal yelled to Ozpin, "What's going on!? Why is she screaming!?"

Ozpin stayed silent as he looked to the machine despite Cristal had started to tug on to his shirt. "Answer me, damn it!"

"I… I'm sorry…" She heard him say.

"Sorry?" Cristal said, "Sorry about wha-"

 _ **CRACK!**_

The three of them were taken back when they saw an arrow go straight through the glass, piercing Amber's heart just as she had awoken. The three of them turned to where the arrow had been fired as they saw it had revealed to be Cinder as she had a smile on her face.

"Hello there... Little Gem…" Cinder said to Cristal with a smile.

At this, Cristal glared at her as she recognized her voice as her eye color switched back to red, "You…"

The green flames soon got out and the orange energy that flowed back into Amber as her body had gone limp; Pyrrha struggled to get free as she banged on the glass. The energy left Amber suddenly as it broke the capsule, causing Jaune, Cristal and Ozpin to jump. The energy flew into Cinder, causing her to drop her bow and arrow as it had been suddenly.

After a few moments, Cinders eyes lit up with fire as she floated up into the air with her newfound power. Jaune went to charge at her just as the energy began to flow.

" **STAY BACK!** " Ozpin yelled as it had only been in vein.

Cinder attacked Jaune with what looked to be a fire blast as he flew back, dropping his sword and shield out of his hands.

" **JAUNE!** " Pyrrha exclaimed as she banged on the glass.

"You…" Cristal said with a sneer, her red eye glowed; a red eye insignia appeared in the middle of her forehead, " **... I'LL KILL YOU!** " Cristal charged at Cinder with her fist glowing a purple light.

Though Cinder only laughed as she had been able to block her attack before sending her flying with the fire she produced from her hand. She cried out in agony as she flew, though Ozpin had been quick to catch her before she hit the wall behind her.

" **CRISTAL!** " Pyrrha yelled, as she finally activated her semblance. Se used it to break out of the capsule sending the door flying in Cinder's direction; Cinder only sent the door flying in another direction.

Pyrrha placed the flower back in her hair before she grabbed her sword and shield.

"No!" Ozpin said to her as he stopped her from charging, after he helped Cristal to stand, "Take Jaune and Cristal and get out of here! Get her somewhere safe! Find Glynda, Qrow and Ironwood and bring them here! The tower cannot fall!"

"But-I can help!" Pyrrha said.

"... You'll only get in the way." Ozpin told her.

Pyrrha had been hesitant, though after she looked over to Jaune and Cristal she gave a nod. She soon went to take Cristal's arm, before she help Jaune off the floor as she helped them to get outside.

"No, you don't!" Cinder said.

Cinder went to create ice as it went into the direction of Cristal as she ran, though before the ice could reach her, Ozpin quickly acted. He tossed his cane as if it had been that of a spear; breaking it in between.

Cinder gritted her teeth at this as she looked over to Ozpin; he soon went to retrieve his cane as they both circled.

"This whole time…" Cinder said, "Those two were here… She was here, beneath our very feet. _**She**_ was right about you… _**Such arrogance**_."

Thus both her and Ozpin engaged in a fight.

( _ **Second Ending Theme: Rokka No Yuusha Ending 3-Nameless Heart Performed By Aoi Yuuki**_ )


	14. Chapter 13: Has To Have Faith

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

All of the students as well as the other citizens gathered around the shipping dock. The soldiers from Atlas helped out with the paramedics as they attend to those that had been wounded, while some others helped to calm down. Oobleck and Port stood among them, with only but a few cuts and bruises.

"That's it!" Port said, "Everybody on board! This is a mandatory evacuation!"

"A safe zone has been established in Vale!" Oobleck said, "Everyone, remain calm and listen to Atlas personal!"

Weiss sat on the floor beside Blake and Yang as to give the two of them comfort after what had happened.

" **WEISS!** "

Weiss turned in the direction a familiar voice as she saw Ruby running alongside Roman Torchwick; he had his scarf wrapped around him like a cast, and he had been missing his bowler hat.

"Ruby!" Weiss said as she got up off the floor. She ran over to her teammate and gave her a hug, "Are you okay!?" She asked her.

"I'm fine!" Ruby said, as she pushed herself out of the hug, "Good news! I found Roman! He's on our side now!"

Weiss couldn't help but look to him awkwardly as did Roman himself.

"Hi." She said as she waved.

"Ice Queen." Roman said as he gave her a little wave too.

Zwei soon ran up to them as he had been excited to see a familiar face as well as a new one. "Oh good…" Roman said as Zwei came up to his leg and let out a bark, "... You do have a pet…"

"I did tell you on the way over." Ruby said to him before she turned to Weiss, "Listen, Destiny is in trouble! We have to help her! Where's Blake, Yang and Cristal?"

Weiss gasped softly as her expression changed, "... What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

Weiss didn't respond as she moved out of her way; Ruby's eyes widened in shock as she saw what had been before her. Yang and Blake, both of them severely injured; in fact Yang's left arm had been gone and Destiny's bracelet laid in the palm of her right hand. Ren and Nora had been exhausted from the fight, as they had both succumbed to injuries from before. Blake had been in tears as she placed her hand on top of Yang's

"I'm sorry…" She said, "... I'm so sorry…"

"Yang…" Ruby said solemnly, as she had been close to tears, "... No…"

Roman saw Yang's condition and he couldn't help but shake his head at this; it hadn't been long before he noticed that someone was missing.

"Where's Cristal?" He soon said, "Where's my daughter?!"

"You have a daughter!?" Sun exclaimed as he approached Ruby, "And shouldn't you be in prison?"

"Not now Banna boy!" Roman told him.

"Sun!" Ruby said turning to him, "How are they?"

"They're going to be alright." Sun replied, "There's a ship that's gonna take you to Vale."

"But Jaune, Pyrrha and Cristal-!" Nora said, "-They're still missing!"

"What!?" Ruby and Roman exclaimed in unison.

"Hold on a second!" Weiss said, "Ruby just told us that Destiny is trouble! You don't expect us to leave them behind do you!?"

"Look guys!" Sun said to them, "That giant Grimm keeps circling the school! Even the White Fang are pulling out! We all have to go, now!"

"We're not leaving!" Ren said as he tried to stand though fell when his wounds aggravated him. Everyone had been silent as they all weren't sure on what they should do. Roman soon spoke up, "... You can run to Vale if you want to. But I'm not leaving here! Not without my daughters!"

"You're not going alone." Ruby said, "After all, they're my friends."

"Ruby-!" Sun started to say.

"Roman and I are going to find them!" She told him, as well as the group, "We'll find them, and bring them back!"

"No." Weiss soon said, as she gave a smile "You, Roman and I will find them. Together."

Ruby soon approached Yang as she removed the stuffed animal from her belt. "This is for you sis." She said as she placed it beside her, "Destiny won this for you earlier. She told me that she was sorry that she couldn't give it to you in person."

She placed her hand on top of hers and Blake's, "I'll come back with them. I promise." She gave Yang a kiss on the forehead before she pulled herself away from them.

"Watch after Blake and Yang." Weiss said to Sun, "We'll be back."

With that being said, Ruby and Weiss along with Roman, ran back towards the school, with their weapons armed.

" **YOU'D BETTER BE!** " Sun called out, "... Idiots…"

* * *

- _ **Headmaster Building**_ -

Jaune, Cristal and Pyrrha soon emerged from the building as they caught their breath; the three of them had been in shocked by what had just happened as they had been processing what had been done.

"She killed her…" Cristal said as she had been in shock, "That monster killed Amber…"

"Just stay calm." Jaune told her, "I think I have Glynda's number!"

Jaune took out his scroll before he started to look through his contacts; mumbling a curse to himself when he couldn't find it. Pyrrha looked back to the building, as she thought about the whole situation.

"Pyrrha?" Cristal soon said getting her attention, "What's going on? Why did she kill Amber!? What was that energy I saw fly out of her!?"

Pyrrha had been struggling to answer, though before she could answer, Jaune soon had a question of his own. "Pyrrha…" He said, "... What was all of that back there?"

Cristal soon noticed the flower in Pyrrha's hair, as it had glowed red. She was a bit surprised when she heard whispers coming from the flower. "What…" Cristal soon asked, "... What is that…?"

"I-"

They soon felt the whole ground shake; they felt the ground heat up a little as they realized what this meant.

"No…" Jaune said, "It can't be… Ozpin…"

Cristal gritted her teeth at this, "That's it! She's taken enough lives as it is!" She took Jaune and Pyrrha by surprise when Cristal ran back towards the building.

"Cristal! Where are you going!?" Jaune called out.

"Where do you think!?" Cristal told him, "I'm gonna fight the woman responsible for all of this!"

"But you can't do that!" Jaune told her, "She's out to capture you, remember?!"

"That doesn't matter!" She said, as the red eye appeared again on her forehead, " _ **I'm going to make her pay…**_ "

Before Jaune could say anything more, Cristal ran inside, disappearing into the darkness of the building.

"We can't let her do this!" Jaune said to Pyrrha who had stayed silent.

"There's no time…" Pyrrha suddenly said as Jaune stopped in his tracks. He turned over to her.

"What did you say?" Jaune soon asked.

Pyrrha's expression changed as she didn't answer his question, but instead told him, "You have to get out of here! Get to Vale and call for help!"

"What!?" He said, "What are you going to do!? And what about Cristal!?"

Pyrrha didn't reply as she looked up to the tower. At this, Jaune seemed to know her answer.

"N-No!" He protested, "You can't! You saw how powerful she is! Not even Cristal could take her out! I won't let you-Mm!?"

Jaune had been cut off suddenly when he felt Pyrrha's lips on his; she had been kissing him. Unconsciously he placed his arms around waist, and in turn, she put her arms around his neck as he started to kiss back. Pyrrha finally broke off, after what had seemed like an eternity, as she placed a hand on his cheek and chest. Jaune saw the look in her eyes, as he could almost swear, she had been about to cry.

"... I'm sorry…"

Jaune felt himself getting pushed as it had took him a second to realize she had used his semblance. He had been pushed back into a locker that had been sitting just behind him as the door slammed shut before he could react.

" **NO, WAIT! STOP!** " Jaune yelled as Pyrrha started to type the six digit code, " **PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS!** "

After giving one last look, Pyrrha took a step back as the rocket had activated. It flew towards the city, far from where she stood. She soon turned and went inside the building, finding Cristal at one of the elevators. It looked as though she had been trying to get it open.

She kicked the door out of annoyance as she let out a scream, " **DAMN IT ALL!** "

"Maybe I can help?" Pyrrha said, causing Cristal to turn to her. She looked surprised to see her, as the rage in her seemed to have vanished.

"Where did Jaune go?" She asked her.

"Don't worry about him…" Pyrrha replied, "... He's safe."

Cristal noticed the look in her eyes as her expression had softened slightly. "You know what I'm going to do… Don't you?" Cristal soon asked.

Pyrrha only gave a nod as she stayed silent.

"So than…" She said, "... Are you gonna try and stop me?"

"No…" Pyrrha replied as she had been surprised again, "... If you're going to fight her… You won't be going alone."

Cristal merely laughed to herself at this, as she smiled, "... Than what the hell are we waiting for?"

Pyrrha nodded and she went to open the elevator doors, with the help of her semblance. When she did, they saw that there had been a hole from the floor to the top, no doubt having been the cause of Cinder. Though despite this, they both stepped inside the elevator.

"Hang onto me." Pyrrha told Cristal.

Cristal gave a nod as she took hold of her arm. With all of her power, she had sent the elevator rocketing straight towards the top.

* * *

Ruby, Roman, and Weiss ran towards where Jaune, Pyrrha and Cristal had been last seen. As they ran towards the building, Ruby had explained to the two of them what they saw.

"A Wyvern!?" Roman exclaimed, "Destiny is in the head of a Wyvern!?"

"How is that even possible!?" Weiss said.

"I don't know!" Ruby replied, "I only know what I saw! Look, we can focus on how she got attached to its head later, for now we have to find a way to save her!"

"How are we supposed to do that!?" Weiss said, "Without her or Cristal we can't get close to that thing without it wanting to eat us!"

"We'll think of something, I'm sure!" Ruby told her.

Just as they arrived at the Headmasters building they were startled by a ringtone. It had been coming from Weiss's scroll; she quickly removed it from her dress pocket to see the caller ID.

"It's Jaune!" She said. The three of them stopped in their tracks as Weiss picked up the call before she put it on speaker.

"Jaune!" She said, "Where are you?!"

" _Weiss!_ " They heard him say, as his he sounded distressed, " _Please! You have to stop them!_ "

"What? What are you talking about?"

" _Pyrrha! Cristal! They went after Cinder! At the top of the tower! You have to stop them!_ "

Roman's eyes widened in horror, "They went after Cinder? But-That's suicide! Why would she even think to do something like that!?"

"Suicide?" Ruby asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Roman had said to Ruby with honesty, "Cristal… and your friend… If Cinder actually gained something from with this plan…" Roman's expression changed to something that of worry, "My daughter… She's still a beginner when it comes to combat… They won't stand a chance…"

Ruby and Weiss's eyes widened at this as they realized what he had been trying to tell them.

"O-Okay!" Weiss said stammering a little, "We'll go to them! What about you?! Are you okay!?"

" _ **DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!**_ " Jaune yelled taking them back, " _Please… You have to save them… Save Pyrrha..._ "

"We will." She said, "Are you okay?"

This time Jaune didn't respond as they heard had been static. "Jaune? Jaune!?" She said in desperation. Just than, they found themselves surrounded by Grimm, as the Wyvern created more of them. The three of them readied themselves as they armed their weapons.

"What now Red?" Roman asked.

"I have a plan." Ruby replied.

"Don't you always?" Weiss said.

The three of them soon charged at the pack of Grimm in front of them.

* * *

Cinder had gotten to the top of the tower and stepped into the now empty office. She stepped towards the window as she felt the tower shake ever so slightly. Soon enough the Wyvern came into view; it's eyes burning red, though it's eyes had changed to that of a shade of green.

Cinder chuckled, "I remember what she's told me about you and your sister… Though I didn't think it would be true. You and her, have an extraordinary gift… And you'll do great things with it…"

The Wyvern seemed to let out a whimper, almost as if the child was trying to speak to her.

Cinder shushed the Wyvern gently, "... There's no need to fear little one… I'll bring you and your sister back home…"

The Wyvern looked to Cinder curiously as it's eyes changed from red to green as it blinked. It hadn't been long before Cinder heard a screech coming from the elevator. The very moment it stopped the doors slid open. A spear soon flew out with a spin though Cinder dodged with ease. Pyrrha soon emerged from the elevator as she charged at her with her shield in hand, despite Cinder having blocked the attack. Though Cristal soon came flying out of the elevator with her fist glowing purple and her eyes of gold.

Cinder quickly caught her fist as she countered her; she pushed her back though Cristal had been able to steady herself. Pyrrha retrieved her sword and shield with the help of her semblance; the two of them stood ready to fight.

Cinder only smiled as she went for the offensive. Using her magic she launched fire at the two. Pyrrha and Cristal quickly moved as to avoid getting burned. When the two had been backed into a corner she used all of her power to created a stream of fire like that of flamethrower. Pyrrha blocked the blast with her shield while Cristal created a barrier of her own.

Cristal's barrier started to break apart as the flames became stronger; she had been struggling to keep it up. Pyrrha noticed this as she fell to her knees, as she appeared to be in pain, and went to act. She practically jumped through the flames with the help of her shield as she went to attack from above.

Though she had been taken back when Cinder had caught the attack by the blade. Cinder saw an opening as she pushed her back with her magic. She hit the wall as she lost her weapon and shield.

Cristal glared over at Cinder as she soon went to attack. She charged at her with full speed; despite Cinder going to stop her, Cristal managed to dodge her attacks before her fist lit up with purple again. She managed to land hits on her, as she almost knock her out of the air; with each hit she took, small purple blasts seem to emit from the teens attacks.

It hadn't been long before Cinder grabbed her by the neck causing her to cease her movements and making her gag.

Cinder couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Cristal struggle to get free from her grip. "You certainly are strong aren't you?" Cinder said, as she tightened her grip a little, "I can see why she has an interest in someone like you."

Cristal didn't reply as she tried to think of a way to get free; though it hadn't been long before she spotted a mug on the table. Her eyes changed to gold as she started to concentrate on the mug, though Cinder seemed distracted as she only seemed amused.

"If I could I would take your powers for myself." She told her, not even realize that the mug had been floating behind her, as her eyes had been a lit with flames,"Though you should feel honored. After all you are my equal."

"I'm not the same as you!" Cristal told her.

The mug suddenly threw itself towards Cinder, hitting her in the back of her head, shattering it instantly causing her to cry out in agony. Once her grip loosened, Cristal used it as an opportunity to strike. She put her hand on her stomach before forming a beam of light hitting her head on, causing her to fly nearly shattering the glass behind her. Cinder recovered and went to attack her, though was stopped by Pyrrha.

She attacked her with her sword and shield, attacking her on all sides, giving Cinder almost no time to react. Cristal added Pyrrha as she attacked her in close combat, landing a couple of hits on Cinder, draining her Aura.

Cinder pushed them both off making Cristal stumble and Pyrrha to fly. Though they both managed to recover; Pyrrha tossed her spear and shield catching Cinder off guard.

Cristal launched herself from the ground, as she tackled her causing the both of them to crash. The moment Pyrrha landed on the floor she went to help Cristal as she pinned her. She held her sword to her neck as the two of them caught their breath.

"You better not try anything funny." Cristal said as she sounded exhausted, Cinder took notice that her eye had been slowly changing back to red, "Unless you want your blood on this floor."

"It's over." Pyrrha said, "You've lost."

Cinder only smiled at this, as they didn't realize that her hands had been heating up "... Have I?"

The two of them had been confused, until they saw the Wyvern fly from the tower, before charging at full speed. Pyrrha and Cristal only watched in horror as it came flying towards them. The Wyvern soon let out a roar causing Cristal to scream a little as she felt the pain come to her head, before vanishing.

Pyrrha soon saw her expression change, to something like that of horror.

"Cristal, what is it?" Pyrrha said.

"No!" Cristal said as he grip loosened on Cinder, "I-It can't be-!"

Pyrrha didn't know what she had been talking about, until she saw what had been in the Wyvern's head.

"...Destiny…?"

Cinder grabbed a hold of Pyrrha's blade, as it had broke under her grip, before hitting Cristal with her elbow while kicking Pyrrha just as the Wyvern took out the rooftop; the windows shattered and the gears and various other debris fell towards the ground below.

By the time Pyrrha opened her eyes the dust had cleared, as she saw she had only her shield left. Cristal had just been beside her, as she had been on her side. She saw her come too as she let out a cough.

"Ow…" She groaned, "... Everything hurts…"

Pyrrha soon took notice of the new wound on her head.

"Cristal, you're ble-"

Pyrrha stopped herself when she noticed something odd about her blood. Though she saw that familiar red color, it had been mixed with some sort of black substance. Just as she went to reach for the wound to get the bleeding to stop-

"Don't touch me!" She exclaimed causing Pyrrha to flinch at her sudden tone of voice. Cristal put her hand on the side of her head as her expression changed, "... Please." She said softly, "... Just don't."

Right when Pyrrha was about to say anything more, they felt the air around them grow heat up. They saw just in front of them, Cinder had been hovering just in front of them with the help of her flames.

"Look-" Cristal said to her with a whisper, "-We don't have time to do the questionnaire, we have to find a way to save my baby sister!"

Pyrrha gave a nod, "How do we do that?"

"First we gotta take care of her…" Cristal said as she Cinder had prepared to make her move, "... I got an idea, throw that table, and follow my lead!"

Pyrrha nodded again, before she activated her semblance; She threw the table catching Cinder off guard, and Cristal and her quickly moved. Pyrrha grabbed her shield just as Cinder recovered; she had been engulfed in flames. She threw her shield towards her but Cinder had been quick to block.

It hadn't been long before she heard Cristal whistle, causing her to turn to her. She saw Cristal had a smile on her face, as she had her hands out, and her eye had been that of gold. It took Cinder only but a moment to realize why she had the smile on her face as she looked at her surroundings. Gears had been floating all around surrounding her potential escape route.

" **NOW!** " Cristal shouted.

Pyrrha used her semblance to pull her shield back towards her, hitting Cinder's feet. A gear had hit her in the stomach knocking her out; With the movement of her hands, Cristal piled every gear that had been floating on top of her, trapping her. Cristal fell to her knees as her nose started to bleed.

"That should hold her." She said, as Pyrrha ran towards her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Pyrrha asked her as she helped her to stand.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright." Cristal replied, "I've just reached my limit that's all…"

"You're limit?" Pyrrha said.

Their attention had been soon drawn to the Wyvern. The ground shook at it's roar, as it caused the two girls to stumble.

"Just hang on Princess!" Cristal said as she steadied herself, "We'll have you out of there soon!"

"Can't you calm it like Destiny can?" Pyrrha asked her.

"Yes, normally-" She told her as the tower shook again when the Wyvern started to dig its claws in the side of the building, "-But the Wyvern has too much anger, so it's way past the point where I can calm it! Even if it I could, I never calmed one of this size, so I'm not sure how it will effect me!"

"Than what do we do?!" Pyrrha said.

The two of them soon fell to the ground as they could've sworn they felt the tower tip over.

"It's not going to let her go, that's for sure! We're gonna have to pull her out ourselves!" Cristal told her as she was quick to stand, "Find anything sharp we can use!"

"Right!" Pyrrha said.

The two started to go through the various debris until they found a set of pipes. They had gotten the loose pipes out of the stone before they turned to the Wyvern's mouth start to light up.

" **QUICK, THROW IT!** " Cristal shouted to Pyrrha as she tossed the pipes over to her.

Pyrrha tossed the pipes as if they had been a set of spears, aiming for the black substance around Destiny. It hit dead center, causing the Wyvern to roar in agony. Pyrrha threw a couple of more as it started to give out, until finally the child fell off of it's head.

Cristal jumped towards her as she caught her in her arms; she landed on her side almost falling off of the building. Some of the black substance, land on her body before it disappeared, along with the substance around Destiny's body. Cristal managed to recover from the impact, as she looked to her younger sister. She had been met with a surprise; instead of finding a fresh wound in her chest where the IV needle had been, she instead saw a scar, which she couldn't help but find surprising.

" **DESTINY!** " Pyrrha exclaimed as she ran over to them, " **DESTINY!** "

Cristal managed to regain herself as she shook her, "Princess! Destiny! Come on! Wake up for your big sister!"

The two of them started to worry as Destiny had given them no response. They couldn't help but think of the worse case scenario. Until the two of them had been taken back, when for a brief moment, they saw a red eye appear on her head before it disappeared again. The two of them jumped, when she started to cough.

Her eyes only opened halfway as it looked as though she had been half dead. Despite this, Cristal and Pyrrha couldn't help but smile.

"Oh thank the Gods!" Cristal said as she hugged her being very careful, as she couldn't help but cry.

Pyrrha felt tears come to her eyes as well, "You're alright! Thank goodness!"

They soon noticed that Destiny had been trying to speak; but all that came out had been a strained and raspy voice. At this Pyrrha gently shushed her, "Try not to speak alright? You need to save your strength."

Cristal sniffled before she said to her with a smile, "Daddy's waiting for us… What do you say we go see him?"

Destiny moved her head as she let out a groan. Cristal went to stand though she moaned in agony when she tried.

"Here." Pyrrha said as she took Destiny, "I'll take her for you."

"Thanks." She said with a smile as she stood.

They both started to walk through what had been left of the tower. Cristal had been keeping up as she stumbled while she walked. "I don't suppose we can use an elevator to get down from here?" Cristal couldn't help but joke.

Pyrrha seemed to chuckle lightly as she said, "Don't worry, we'll find a way down."

The teen sighed, "It's at times like this I wish I could grow a pair of wings and fl-"

The two of them had been cut off when they felt the ground heat beneath them. Cinder emerged from the pile of gears sending most of them over the edge. Two of the gears hit Pyrrha and Cristal just giving them barely enough time for them to react. Pyrrha had been pushed back despite the fact she used her shield, and the new barrier Cristal had created shattered, hitting her in the stomach, making her nearly fall off the edge again.

Pyrrha looked to her hand and saw light shimmer around her body; her aura had finally broke.

* * *

Ruby, Weiss and Roman had managed to fend themselves off the army of Grimm despite the fact that Roman had been currently been fighting with only one arm. The three of them finally managed to push them back as they quickly caught there breath.

" **WE GOTTA HURRY!** " Ruby exclaimed.

" **AND HOW DO YOU SUGGEST WE GET UP THERE!?** " Roman yelled back, " **ALL THE ELEVATORS IN THAT TOWER ARE PROBABLY BUSTED!** "

Weiss had been quick to take care of that problem; with a simple movement from her hand, glyphs appeared along the side of the tower making a line to the top.

"That'll work." Roman said with a shrug.

Weiss turned over to Ruby who looked to be in awe, "You can do this." She said, as the silver eyed girl turned to her.

Ruby soon turned to Roman, as his look soon changed, "Go for it Red."

Ruby gave a smile as she nodded, before she used her semblance to jump to the tower. With the help of Weiss's glyphs, she ran up towards the top as fast as her legs could carry her.

* * *

Pyrrha and Cristal managed to recover from the impact of the gears, though when Cristal tried to stand she only ended up falling back to the ground again. She tried to use her magic to at least shoot the bow and arrow that materialized in Cinder's hand, but all that had come out of her palm had been a couple of sparks.

"Damn it…!" She mumbled as she soon went to stop the bleeding from her head.

Pyrrha placed Destiny on the ground as she went to throw her shield just as Cinder fired her arrow. As the two collided, the arrow broke itself apart, before putting itself back together just as the shield past. The arrow soon hit Pyrrha in the ankle causing her to cry out and Cristal to jump at her scream. She tried to stand up, but the pain in her ankle had been too great; the flower in her hair glowed a violent red as Cinder stepped towards her.

"It's unfortunate, you were promised a power, that was never truly yours…" Cinder said as she circled her.

She soon kneeled before putting her hand underneath her chin to get her to look at her, "But take comfort in knowing…" Cinder said, "... That I will use in ways… You cannot imagine."

Pyrrha removed her head from her hand as she looked Cinder in the eye, asking only one thing.

"...Do you believe in destiny…?"

"... Yes."

Despite the amount of pain the child had been in, Destiny rolled over on her stomach, before she made her way towards Pyrrha. She managed to get behind her as she reached out to her taking her hand.

"...P… y… ra…?" She groaned as she felt Pyrrha's hand shake a little, "... P… y… ra…?"

She felt Pyrrha tighten her grip just as Cinder materialized her bow and another arrow. "No!" Cristal exclaimed as she desperately tried to create another barrier to appear in front of Pyrrha, "No! No! No! No!"

"Destiny…" Pyrrha soon whispered, "... Thank you…"

And just like that she let go of the string and let the arrow fly hitting Pyrrha in the chest, and Cristal froze at the sight. Pyrrha only gasped as she reached for the arrow and within a matter of a few moments, Destiny felt her hand go limp. Cinder tossed her bow down as she put her hand onto Pyrrha's head, just as her eyes lost it's color before her entire body glowed a bright orange.

Before Cristal's very eyes, her body turned to ash, and blowed away in the wind.

The only thing that had been left of her, was her crown, the flower that started to flicker red, and the bracelet to which had laid in Destiny's hand.

Cristal had been left stunned as she went over to where Pyrrha once was, with Cinder watching her do so. With her hands shaking she picked up the crown, looking to it for only a few moments before tears began to fall onto the ground and crown, just as she saw her sister's tears fall despite the fact she couldn't change her expression at the moment.

"No…!" She cried as she hugged the crown, "... No…!... Pyrrha…!"

Cinder only watched as Cristal continued to sob, completely forgetting the fact that she had been in front of them. It hadn't been long before she noticed the flower on the floor, as it still flickered like that of a light bulb. She picked it up off the floor, taking a closer look at it before she smiled.

"Now this, is a surprise." She said to herself, "To think one would be here in a place like this."

She chuckled as she turned to the two girls in front of her, "Looks like I get to kill two birds… With one stone."

Cinder soon reached out to Cristal, though just before she could do anything-

" **PYRRHA!** "

The whole world soon turned light, as a scream from Cristal was soon heard.

( _ **Second Ending Theme: Rokka no Yuusha Ending 3-Nameless Heart Performed By Aoi Yuuki**_ )


	15. Chapter 14: A House Divided

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY v3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )

Ruby had gotten to the top without any problems, though she was too late.

Destiny laid just behind Pyrrha while Pyrrha herself on her knees before Cinder, and Cristal had been on the opposite side where she had been; The bow and arrow she held in her hand had been pulled back. She let go of the arrow and it soon pierced Pyrrha's chest, causing Ruby's eyes to widen in horror. Pyrrha had gasped for air only for a brief moment before she had gone limp.

Cinder threw down her bow as she walked up to Pyrrha, placing a hand on her head, before her body had glowed orange. Within a few short moments her body turned to ash, as they blowed away into the wind. The only thing that had been left behind was her crown, her bracelet and what looked to be a flower as it had gently touched the floor.

Ruby's eyes welled up with tears as she saw what had been before her; she saw Cristal sobbing as she practically hugged the crown into her chest as she sobbed loudly.

" **PYRRHA!** "

Her eyes suddenly emitted white beams of light surrounding everything that had been around her, including the Wyvern, and Cinder who had been just petrified.

The last thing she heard before the world turned white was the sound of Cristal screaming in agony.

* * *

" _ **It's alright, I gotcha kiddo. I gotcha."**_

" _ **Cristal! Cristal, wake up! Open your eyes! Please!"**_

" _ **What the hell do you mean, you couldn't find her!? Destiny was up there with them!"**_

" _ **... Still nothing."**_

" _ **Just turn it off. Without the CCT there's no point."**_

" _ **Communications down across the entire Kingdom… No way to contact the outside world… And Ozpin is still missing…"**_

" _ **Yeah…"**_

" _ **This is bad Qrow…"**_

" _ **Yeah… This is bad…"**_

* * *

Ruby let out a groan as she started to open her eyes.

She found herself in a room all to familiar to her as she had been wearing her gray dotted PJs. She sat herself as she looked around wondering how she had gotten there before she noticed someone at her bedside. It had been a teenage girl, around Yang's age as she wore a green flannel shirt with a pair of jeans. Just from the red streaks in her short black hair, she knew who it had been.

"... Maize…?" Ruby said as she shook her awake.

The girl named Maize let out a groan before she picked up her head; her golden yellow eyes soon widened with relief.

"Ruby!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around her,"Thank the Gods, you're up!"

Ruby only groaned in agony causing Maize to let go of her. It hadn't been long before she ran to the door, shouting down the hall, "Dad! Uncle Tai! Come quick, Ruby's awake!"

Ruby only sat in her bed shocked before she heard footsteps coming from the hall. It hadn't been long before Tai, her father came into, looking just as relieved as Maize had been.

"Ruby!" He said as he ran to her side, "You're awake!"

Ruby let out another groan, "What happened?"

"My dad found you." Maize explained, "You were unconscious, but he got you and Yang home safely."

Ruby's eyes soon widened, "Yang! Is she alright?!"

Tai and Maize looked to one another as their gaze had softened slightly. "She's…" Tai started to say hesitantly, "... She's gonna be alright. I think it's just going to take some time for her, to… Get used to things."

Ruby couldn't help but feel concerned about her sister; though it hadn't been long before Maize gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about your sister." Maize said as she gave a reassuring smile, "We both know she's strong. Something like this won't stop her."

Tai couldn't help but sniffle as he rubbed his eye a little, preventing a tear from falling, "I'm just glad to have my girls back home."

"What about the school!?" Ruby soon asked, "And Vale!? Were they able to clear out the Grimm!?"

"The city is all under control." Maize soon replied, "But the school I'm afraid isn't that simple. The Wyvern isn't dead, and it's just drawing more and more of the Grimm."

"Now, don't get me wrong, you did a number on it." Tai soon added, "But it's just kind of… Frozen. I know it doesn't sound bad, but everyone is doing everything they can to draw the Grimm away."

Ruby took a moment to process this newfound information, though she couldn't help but be more confused by it.

"I did… What?" She soon asked. The two of them had been taken back by this as they looked to Ruby surprised.

"You said I did a number on it…" Ruby said to her father, "... What do you mean by that?"

"You mean…" Maize started to ask, "... You don't remember…?"

"Remember what?" She asked her, as she looked even more surprised. Maize had been about to say something but Tai had been quick to stop her.

"Look we can talk about it later." He told them, "Things are just… Kind of a mess."

"It's always a mess."

The four of them looked over to the door as they saw Qrow standing there, drinking from his flask, till it had been empty. "Mind if we have a minute?" Qrow asked.

"What, I can't stay here?" Tai said harshly, "Not even your daughter?!"

"Tai." Qrow said calmly, "Please."

Maize noticed the look in Tai's as she put a hand on his shoulder, "Uncle Tai." She said softly, "Just let dad and Ruby talk."

After a moment Tai let out a sigh, before he stood. He soon kissed Ruby on her forehead, making her turn red a little mostly because she had been embarrassed, "I'm glad you're alright."

"We'll be back with some tea." Maize soon said, before she told her father, "I'm gonna… Try to get Melody again. Okay?"

Qrow had a sad look in his eye before he nodded; without another word Tai and Maize both left the room leaving the two of them be. Qrow soon took a chair and pulled it up to Ruby's bedside before taking a seat.

"So…" He started to say, "... How are you feeling?"

"Um… I kind of hurt all over." Ruby replied.

"That makes sense after what you did." He told her.

Ruby only seemed irritated at this, "You guys keep saying that! That I did something-What are you talking about!?"

"Ruby…" He said leaning forward in his seat, "What's the last thing you remember?"

Ruby still looked confused as she replied hesitantly, "I ran up to the side of the tower… But when I got to the top-"

She soon let out gasp as her eyes widened.

"Pyrrha!" She exclaimed, "Is she-?!"

Qrow looked to her solemnly, "... I'm sorry Ruby… She's gone."

Tears began to form as she started to cry; despite this she continued with her voice cracking, "I-I got to the top-I saw Pyrrha-Destiny-Cristal-And Cinder. And then everything went white!"

"Anything else?" He asked.

Ruby dried her tears, "I remember-My head hurting-And I heard Cristal screaming…"

Qrow's expression changed slightly at this; it hadn't been long before he changed his question. "The night you met Ozpin." He said, "What was the first thing he said to you?"

"I-I don't know." She replied, "I think it was something about my…"

" _ **You… Have silver eyes…**_ "

"My eyes…?"

"Your silver eyes." Qrow soon clarified, "That's an extremely rare trait."

"So?" She said a she gave a quizzical look.

Qrow soon started to explain as he sat back in his chair, "You're special Ruby. And in the, 'Daddy loves his special angel' kind of way. You're special in the same way your mother was." Ruby's expression changed at this as she felt interested. Qrow soon continued on, "Remnants full of legends and stories. Some of them are true and some of them are made up. But there's one thing that Oz told me from a very long time ago. It was said that those born with silver eyes, are destined to lead the life of a warrior. You see the creatures of Grimm-The most fearsome monsters mankind had ever encountered, were afraid of the silver eyed warrior. They were the best of the best. It was said that even one look from one of these fighters could strike a Grimm down."

Qrow couldn't help but laugh, "... When you think about it… It's a ridiculous story."

"Wait…" Ruby said as she had been processing this, "... So… Do you think I might be…?"

"Well…" Qrow said as he stood up, "... A giant monsters currently frozen on top of Beacon tower, and your here… Safe and sound in bed."

"Wait a minute!" Ruby soon said as he went to the window, "How do you know what Ozpin said to me? The night I met him… How did…?"

Qrow stayed silent before he gave his response, "... All the missions I go… All the times I've left Maize and Wren to go to some far off place… It's all been for Ozpin. But he's missing now. Something's been set in motion, and with Ozpin gone, I'm gonna have to pick up where he left off."

"Then what can I do?" Ruby soon asked, "If I'm so special… Then I can help! Right?"

Qrow looked over to her, "You really wanna help? Get some rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now. Besides… Our enemies trail leads all the way to Haven. That'd be quite a trip…" He gave a wink, "... For a pipsqueak like you."

With that being said, Qrow took his leave, leaving Ruby alone in the room. She had been contemplating on what Qrow had told her as she looked to her reflection, for a moment she placed a hand on her face; she still found it hard to believe, though she never doubted her uncle before. She trusted him with her own life.

She soon looked to her wrist, as she still wore Destiny's bracelet. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her team, Cristal and Destiny. They were the only things that had been on her mind. She knew there had been only one person that could tell her.

She stood up from her bed as she started to go down the hall where Yang's room had been. When she opened the door to her room, she saw her looking out the window, holding the corgi plush close to her and her weapon and bracelet sat on the dresser.

She cracked the door open a bit more, before she called out softly, "... Yang…?"

She had gotten no answer from her as she still had her gaze out the window. Ruby's expression softened, and she turned to leave.

"... Ruby."

Ruby stopped as she turned to Yang, and she turned to her; tears had been visible in her lavender eyes. Ruby ran to her side as she gave her a hug, though Yang remained stiff.

"I'm so happy you're okay!" Ruby said with relief.

"... But I'm not." Yang said.

Ruby gently pushed herself out of the hug, her eyes softening as she saw Yang's arm bandaged.

"... It's all gone…" Yang said, "... The school… Pyrrha… Penny… Even…"

"Yang?" Ruby said, "Where are the others?"

Yang gave her reply, "... Weiss's father, came for her."

"What!?" She practically yelled, "Why!?"

"... No outside of Vale knows what happened…" Yang started to say, "... Before the tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas attacking innocent people, and Grimm destroying the city. Everyone's scared, no one knows who to trust. So Weiss's father came to take her back to Atlas, where he thinks it's safe. She's gone."

Ruby came over the shock before she asked, "What about Cristal? Destiny? And Roman? What happened to them?"

"Qrow brought you and Cristal to the safe zone." She replied, "But… She hasn't woken up since Beacon."

Once more Ruby had been put into shock at this. "Wha…" She said, "What happened to her?"

"... No one knows for sure." She told her, "Qrow found her up on the tower with you, just passed out. The doctors did all that they could, but…" Yang took a deep breath, as she had been preventing tears, before she continued on, "... Qrow bought her back here to Patch with us. She's been staying at the hospital, but all we can do is wait."

"And Destiny…? And Roman…?"

"They're… Both missing."

Ruby gasped as she put her hand to her mouth.

"Jaune told Ironwood, about where Destiny went, but nobody saw her come back, or find a trace of her."She said, "And Roman got separated when they tried to get to the safe zone."

"Well, what about-"

"And Blake ran!"

Ruby had been taken back by Yang's tone as she flinched.

"Sun saw her go." Yang explained, "After we got to the city… She just… Ran!"

"But why!? Why would she do that?!"

"I don't know… And I don't care…"

Ruby's expression changed, "There has to be a rea-"

" **NO THERE DOESN'T!** " Yang shouted making her freeze, "Sometimes bad things just happen Ruby!"

Ruby stayed silent for a moment, as she didn't want to anger her sister. "... So…" She soon said, "... What do we do?"

Yang let out a sigh, "... You can do whatever you want… I'm gonna lie here for awhile."

"Yang…" Ruby said, as she reached out to her.

"Please…" Her sister begged, "I just wanna be left alone…"

Ruby couldn't help but have a solemn look in her eyes. She couldn't even think of anything more to say, as she turned to the door making her exit.

"... I love you…" Ruby said, before she left her alone, per her request.

Yang watched her sister leave in the reflection of the window, before she looked to the plush in her hand. She couldn't help but think to the little girl who had won it for her. She couldn't help but think back to her older sister. The two she met… Before all of this began. Though it had only been three weeks for others, for them, it had felt like three years. They all had their fun, felt drama, they've been there for each other. Destiny and Cristal… They became more than just their friends.

They became their family.

But now Cristal was barely clinging to life, and who knows what had became of the poor little girl. She held the plush close to her, as she had been practically hugging it. Small wet spots began to form at the top of the plushie's head as thought of Cristal and Destiny plagued her mind.

"Cristal…" She started to say as her voice cracked, "... Destiny… Why did this happen…?"

* * *

 _Team RWBY and JNPR had sat on the rooftop of the dormitories with the two sisters, Destiny and Cristal. Tomorrow would be the day when the Vytal Festival would begin._

 _Everything was all set._

 _The fairgrounds, the teams from the different academies and the coliseum up in the sky. They felt prepared for what they were going to face tomorrow. Although they were honestly nervous to what they were going to do, and witness. They had decided to take their minds off it by having a late night picnic. They had a blanket set up, and were playing a game of old maid._

" _ **YES!**_ " _Destiny cheered, "_ _ **I'M THE FIRST ONE OUT!**_ "

 _The two teams groaned as well as Cristal._

" _That's the third time!" Ruby exclaimed._

" _How are you so good at this!?" Jaune yelled._

" _Are you sure you're not cheating?" Cristal asked her sister as she gave her a look._

" _Maybe your just too good of a teacher!" Destiny said teasingly. Cristal stuck her tongue out at her, and Destiny did the same, making the rest of the team laugh. It hadn't been long before Destiny saw something in the sky._

" _Hey look at that!" She said as she pointed over to it._

 _Their they saw a shooting star fall from the sky._

" _A shooting star!" The child said, "I've never seen one before…"_

" _Lucky you Dessie! You get to make a wish!" Yang said._

 _Destiny looked surprised at this, "Is that okay? You guys don't want to make one?"_

" _No, no, that's not how it works!" Nora said, "If you're the one to see it first, than you get to make one!"_

" _Yup, that's the rules Princess." Cristal said, "Now you can make any wish you want."_

" _Well… Okay…" Destiny said as she twiddled her thumbs. She put her hands together as she closed her eyes, "I wish… For everyone to do there best in the Vytal Festival… To have the best time of their lives… For myself and Cristal too… And… And…" They soon noticed that she started to tear up at the thought of her father; At this Cristal went to hug her._

 _Though the two of them had been taken back when the whole group went to hug them; they had been practically sandwiching them._

" _Okay, you guys are overdoing it a bit." Cristal said._

" _You know you love it!" Nora said to her._

" _Thanks you guys…" Destiny said as she wiped away her tears._

" _Hey, it's what friends are for you know." Ruby said with a smile._

" _We'll be here for you." Pyrrha said, "We always will."_

 _Destiny smiled as she giggled, her face turning a little red._

" _Hey guys." Weiss said, "Look up there."_

 _The group looked to the sky as they had been taken back at a breathtaking sight. There they saw the sky had been practically lit up, with stars as it each of them fell across the sky. "Woah…" Jaune said as it his breath had been taken away._

" _I've seen anything like this…" Ren said._

 _Ruby soon stood up, before she turned to the two teams, "You guys! I have a good feeling about tomorrow! Let's give it our all in the tournament! And may the best team win!"_

 _While the rest of her team cheered, JNPR couldn't help but smile to one another. Destiny and Cristal turned to each other._

" _Do you think… We'll see daddy again?" Destiny asked with concern._

 _Cristal only smiled, as she tapped her nose, "... Of course. We promised, remember?"_

 _Destiny smiled once more before she nodded, as the two of them watched the stars fall from the sky._

* * *

Time had passed since the now named incident, the fall of Beacon, and no one had been the same since the Grimm Invasion and those that survived Vale. Fall came and go, through the small island as snow practically covered the entire plain around. Ruby had been in room, going through her drawers and practically stuffing whatever she could find into a gray bag.

"Okay." Ruby said, "Sleeping bag, check, fresh clothes, check, money check-"

She let out a groan as she tapped herself on the head, "... What am I missing?"

"Your ammo belt silly."

Ruby jumped at a familiar voice. She looked to her doorway as she saw it had been Maize, holding her ammo belt.

"You're gonna need it if you want to use your Crescent Rose." She told her.

Ruby went over to take the ammo belt from her, "Thanks…" She said surprised, as she put her ammo belt around her waist.

Maize only chuckled as she went over to the bed; she took the clothes out of the beg before she started to fold them up properly, considering the fact that they had all been scrunched up and wrinkled.

"You were never one to be tidy, huh?" Maize said amusingly, "... Your just like my sister."

"Maize…" Ruby said worried, "... You…?"

"If you're worried about Uncle Tai than don't." Maize said, "I didn't tell him about this. And as long as you've written that note, than it'll be just fine."

Ruby went over to her as she still had been surprised, "Than you know that I'm…?" Ruby started to say. Maize finished folding as she buckled the bag. For a moment she stayed silent as her hands shook a little.

"You have the same look, like my sister did… The day she left to find Auntie…" Maize told her, "...Even if I wanted to, I know there's no stopping you, or telling you to back out otherwise."

Ruby's eyes softened at the mentioning of Maize's siter. Maize soon turned her attention towards the window as did Ruby; they saw just outside three familiar faces stood out there waiting for her.

"... Maize…" Ruby said her voice cracking a little, "... Promise you'll take care of Yang and dad for me…?"

Maize only chuckled softly, "... Of course… But promise me something in return…?"

She finally turned to the young girl in red hood, and Ruby saw the tears had been visible as they rolled down her cheeks.

"... If you find Melody out there…" Maize said with her own voice cracking, "... Give her a hug for me… Tell her we miss her… And come home soon…?"

Ruby nodded in reply before she gave her a hug; Maize returned it as she started to sob softly as did she. Ruby didn't want to let go of her, but she had to. They had said their goodbyes properly before Ruby gathered her bag and weapon.

She shut the door behind her as she managed to compose herself and wipe away her tears.

"Hey Ruby."

Jaune stoon in front of her, with his sword and bag.

"Hey Jaune." She said with a smile, as she stepped towards him, "Haven's a long way to go."

"I know. But it's the only lead we have."

"And you sure you wanna come along?"

Ren and Nora soon stepped forward, "The journey will be perilous." Ren said, "And whether or not we'll find answers is entirely uncertain."

"But we wouldn't be here, if we weren't up for it!" Nora said.

Ruby smiled at the three of them, "Thanks for doing this you guys."

It hadn't been long before they were taken back by a familiar voice.

"Little Red… Little Red… You're just determined to see this through to the end, huh?"

The group turned and had been taken back by the sight of a familiar man. It was Roman Torchwick, though he didn't have his usually bowler cap like he did before; instead he had a fedora on his head.

"Roman?" Ruby said surprised, "You're here…?"

Roman only gave a smile before he motioned someone to move from behind a tree nearby. The who stepped from behind the tree brought relief and shock to them at the sight of someone they didn't expect to see. Before them stood a girl, wearing a dark green tank top with a dark blue trench coat and a pair of khakis with brown boots; her black hair looked to be slightly longer than it did before.

"Hey guys… Ya miss me?"

" **CRISTAL!** "

Ruby, Jaune, Nora and Ren ran over to Cristal as they practically tackled her to the ground. Her back hit the snow as she groaned. "Ow…" Cristal groaned, "... That stings…"

At this they quickly scrambled off of her as she stood up. It was than they noticed her entire left arm had been wrapped in bandages while a scar that looked to be similar to that of a burn, had been visible on the left side of her neck and chest and underneath her chin, just as she finished brushing herself off.

"Are… Are you okay?" Ruby said, shocked at her wounds.

"What you mean these?" Cristal said gesturing to them, before giving a scoff, "This is nothing I can't handle."

"But-They said you were in a coma!" Ren said, "They didn't think you would wake up!"

"They said, that-" Jaune said as he was holding back his tears, "-That you weren't going to make it!"

"How are you even here right now?!" Nora exclaimed.

Cristal only gave a smile as she replied, "... I guess I had someone above looking out for me."

Ruby laughed softly as she gave her another hug, though this time she had been more gentle. "I'm so glad you're here…"

"Me too Ruby…" Cristal said as she couldn't help but shed a tear, "... I really missed you…"

"I picked her up from the hospital on my way here." Roman soon explained, "I figured you'd need all the help you can get."

Ruby had been taken back when she pushed herself out of the hug, "What do you mean?"

"You did me a favor Red." Roman said, "You and your friends. You saved my daughters, and you protected them. You convinced me to leave Cinder… So think of this as way of returning it."

"You did me a favor too." Cristal said to them, "... All my years, I've known nothing but sadness and hiding from an enemy I never saw… I thought, my little sister would never experience the happiness I had when mom was still around. But you changed that. You all did. You gave my sister a chance to be a kid again… I could never do what you did."

"I think what she's saying is…" Roman soon said, "... We want to help you with whatever mission you have in mind… And…"

Ruby gave him a smile as she put a hand on his arm, "... You don't have to say it. I know."

She soon took Cristal's hand, "We'll find her, together!"

She started to take them down on the road. Jaune, Ren and Nora soon followed behind them.

"So let's get started!"

( _ **Second Ending Theme: Rokka No Yuusha Ending 3-Nameless Heart Performed By Aoi Yuuki**_ )


	16. Epilogue: The Beginning

" _A smaller more honest soul."_

 _It's true that a single spark can ignite hope, breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute._

 _Which is why, I will focus all of my power…_

 _ **To snuff it out**_ …

 _How does it feel?_

 _Knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing?_

 _That your guardians have failed you?_

 _That everything you built, will be torn down right before your very eyes?_

 _Your faith in mankind was not misplaced. When banded together, unified by a common enemy… They are a noticeable threat._

 _But divide them… Place doubt into their minds… And any semblance of power they once had will be washed away…_

 _Of course, they won't realize it at first._

 _Like you, they'll cling to their fleeting hope… Their aspirations…_ _ **But this is merely the first move**_ _..._

 _So you send you guardians…_

 _Your Huntsmen, and Huntresses…_

 _And when they fail, and you turn to your smallest soul…_

 _Know that you send her to the same, pitiful demise..._

* * *

 _-_ _ **Somewhere In Remnant**_ -

The land had been soaked in nothing but the color of red as if it had been bathed in blood.

The sky, the ground, even the clouds as an internal shattered moon shined over the horizon. Grimm laid around every corner of the land; Beowolves, Nevermores and Ursa as far as the eye can see. Only one building stood among it all; that had been but a single castle, among a forest of purple crystals.

Candles stayed a lit in the halls to keep the path a lit as a single person, a woman wearing nothing but black stepped down the hall, until she reached a particular room. When she entered there had been a tall middle aged man, with a tan complexion, with his hair short and possessing a thick moustache above his upper lip.

He stood beside heart monitor and computer which sat beside a bed that looked to be occupied at the moment.

"Ah, your Grace." The man greeted as he bowed, "I've been expecting you."

"The girl Watts…" The woman had said as she sounded calm, "... What's her condition…?"

"Stable, which is shocking, of all things considering." The man named Watts replied, "The surgery has been a success and she's only resting now. I'm still surprised that she's alive even after her hosts passing.."

"Never underestimate the spirit of a fighter Doctor…" The woman told him, as she approached the bedside of the doctors patient.

"Indeed…" Watts said, "... It is fascinating that a damaged didn't die instantly, even after she was exposed to the girl with silver eyes."

"... She is the evolution from the others before her." She told him, "Or rather… She's a special case."

She minded the wires on the floor connected to the girls chest where bandages had been seen wrapped around, and half of her face had been covered in bandages as well. She brushed a hair from her face; she looked to a pair of white horns on the side of her head. Veins in black and purple that looked like branches covered the woman's deathly paled hand.

"Forgive me for questioning you but…" Watts said, "... What makes you think this girl is a special case?"

The woman saw for only a brief moment an image of a small butterfly that looked to be that of a montezuma cattleheart in the color of black, appear for a brief moment before vanishing. Along the girls horns she saw a faint red glow, as it had vanished with the butterfly.

She looked to Watts, as her eyes had been in the color of red in pools of black; the veins had been seen just around the eyes as well as a black diamond had been seen in the middle of her forehead.

"... She will give us the edge we need to our victory." She said as she went to take her leave, "When she wakes… Bring her to me."

"Of course..." Watts said as he bowed again, " _ **... Salem.**_ "

The woman, Salem soon left the room as she once more, couldn't help but smile.

" _This is the beginning of the end Ozpin… And I can't wait…_ _ **To watch you burn**_ …"

( _ **Opening Theme: RWBY V3 Opening-When It Falls Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_ )


End file.
